THE HORNBEAM. 



131 



great repute at the close of the last century for 

 hedges. The plants were raised from layers, and set 

 in single rows in a sloping direction, so that they 

 crossed one another like large net-work. The 

 parts where the stems crossed were stripped of 

 their bark and bound together with straw. By 

 this process they united into a firm palisade, and 

 throwing out numerous shoots, in a few years 

 formed an impenetrable fence. It was not un- 

 common, he says, to see the sides of high roads 

 thus guarded for many miles together. 



The taste for forming ^Habyrinths," stars," 

 alcoves," and arcades," happily having now 

 passed away, the Hornbeam is only admitted into 

 gardens for the purpose of forming hedges to 

 shelter tender plants, and for this its numerous 

 branches and the property which it possesses of 

 retaining its leaves during winter well adapt it. 

 Another recommendation is, that it grows well 

 in the coldest and hardest soils, and may conse- 

 quently be employed where other trees would not 

 thrive. 



The wood of the Hornbeam is white and close- 

 grained, and though not flexible, surpasses in 

 toughness the timber of any other British tree. 

 The unevenness of the trunk described above is, 

 however, communicated to the fibre of the wood, 

 and hence it does not take a good polish. This 

 defect does not exist in the young wood, which 

 is exceedingly well adapted for the yokes of cattle 

 and all kinds of wheelwright's work, especially 

 mill-cogs. Selby recommends that it should be 

 planted extensively in cold, stiff*, clayey soils, for 

 the staves of fish-barrels. It ranks among the 

 best of fuels, burning freely, and giving out a great 



