By John Spencer, Esq. 



321 



near the proposed fence, seems feasible. And so it is that we find 

 the oldest hedges are made up of the kinds of trees which grow 

 indigenously in the locality. - The oldest hedges I have examined 

 in Wilts are composed (on dry soils) of hazel, wych-elm, maple, 

 oak, dog-wood, spindle- wood, and buckthorn, about in the order 

 placed: and in stronger soils, the ash, blackthorn, buckthorn, wild 

 crab, and wild plum, predominate. The beech and hornbeam are 

 rarely met with as hedge plants, and the same may be stated of 

 the birch, but on wet soils, several species of sallow and willow are 

 frequently found as hedge plants, as well as the alder. The dog- 

 rose, bramble and elder I consider owe their introduction into our 

 hedge rows to chance, as does also the holly in old hedges. The 

 nearly constant absence of the whitethorn from very old hedges 

 may be accounted for on the ground that in the wild state in which 

 it would be met with at the time it would be a difficult tree to 

 transplant, and, in all probability, if used at all, soon died away. 



The increase of hedges would follow the enclosures that took 

 place from time to time on the common or unappropriated lands 

 for the purposes of cultivation, or to establish the right of ownership. 

 With regard to the kind of plants used in making these later 

 hedges I find nothing to shew that any change was made ; in fact, 

 it would appear that until the establishment of nurseries for rearing 

 young trees, plants for the purpose of forming hedges could only 

 be procured from the neighbouring copses or unenclosed lands. 



Henry VIII., fond of good living, was as we may imagine, an 

 epicure in fruits, and his table was furnished by regular importations 

 from the Continent during the fruit season, and as he was in this 

 respect followed by his courtiers, the fruits of the continent became 

 in demand, and led to the forming of nurseries in England for 

 rearing young trees of the kinds of fruits then grown in France 

 and the Netherlands, and it would follow that trees for the em- 

 bellishment of the country seats which soon after this time sprang 

 into existence throughout England, as well as for forming hedges, 

 would be reared in these nursery gardens, and the yew hedges, and 

 topiary work in evergreens found surrounding old English mansions 

 date from about this period, but although we learn from an Italian 



