424 
Hedges and Enclosures of Devonshire. 
which there are 8 J miles of hedge, occupying LSj acres, or fully 
10 per cent. The hedges in this parish would make a bank of 
earth between the capitals of England and Scotland. 
In the parish of Crediton, containing 12,309 acres, there are 
541 miles of hedge, occupying 866 acres; being 7 per cent., or 
1 acre in There are 1455, or .58 in every 100 fields under 
4 acres; 148 of 10 acres and upwards, being 2530 in all ; and 1 
field larger than 10 acres in every 17 fields, or 83 acres. The 
hedges of this parish would more than extend from the Land's 
End through the centre of England to Edinburgh in Scotland. 
The result of this examination of ten parishes, containing 
36,976 acres, being an average size of about 3,700 acres, is, that 
there are 1651 miles of hedge; about half as long again as the 
famous wall of China ; or sufficient to hedge round the whole of 
England with an immense bank of earth, and occupying 2642 
acres; being 77- per cent., or 1 acre in 14; that 805, or 10 in 
every 100 enclosures, are between ^ an acre and 1 acre: — that 
1347 are between 1 and 2 acres, being 2152, or 27 in every 100 
enclosures ; more than a fourth being under 2 acres : — 1293 be- 
tween 2 and 3 acres, being 3445, or 43 in every 100 enclosures 
under 3 acres : 1220 between 3 and 4 acres, being 4665, or 58 in 
every 100 fields under 4 acres: 1015 between 4 and 5 acres, 
being 5680, or 71 in every 100 being under 5 acres : 743 between 
5 and 6 acres, being 6423, or 80 in every 100 under 6 acres : 
511 between 6 and 7 acres, being 6934, or 87 in every 100 under 
7 acres: 357 between 7 and 8 acres, being 7291, or 91 in every 
100 under 8 acres: 231 between 8 and 9 acres, being 7522, or 
94 in every 100 under 9 acres: 148 between 9 and 10 acres, 
being 7670, or 96 in every 100 are under 10 acres: 327 are up- 
wards of 10 acres, being about 2J in every 100 fields; or 1 field 
larger than 10 acres in every 1 13 acres; and making in all 7997 
enclosures. Thus it will be seen that whilst 87 in every 100 en- 
closures are under 7 acres, only 13 in every 100 are larger than 7 
acres. With such a disproportionate number of small fields the 
immense loss sustained may be still further shown by the fol- 
lowing calculations, which I made from a great number of mea- 
surements, the average being taken. By the kind of hedges 
generally used, on fields of the first size given, averaging | of an 
acre, the loss by hedges is 17 per cent.; on fields of the second, 
between 1 and 2 acres, the loss is 12 per cent. ; by those of the 
third size, between 2 and 3 acres, the loss is 10 per cent.; on 
fields between 3 and 4 acres, 7^ per cent. ; on fields of 10 acres 
it is about 4 })er cent. The per centage of course varies very 
much with the shape of the field and the thickness of the fence ; 
but by this it will be seen that when the fields average 10 acres. 
