TOUR IN ENGLAND.—NO. XII. 
hedge, is to keep it thick, especially near the 
ground; and in order to effect this, it must be 
grown broader at the base than the top, so that 
every part may have the benefit, in an equal de¬ 
gree, of moisture, light, and air. The best, there¬ 
fore, are trimmed every year to a width of five 
feet or so at the bottom, and nearly sharp at the 
top, giving the hedge the form, on both sides, of 
the steep roof of a house. Yet they flourish very 
well here trimmed in a rounded form at the top, 
which is a more graceful shape for them; and 
we have frequently seen a good strong fence of 
the hawthorn, growing up in a natural way, seven 
to ten feet high, and still so close at the bottom, 
as to be completely impervious to domestic animals 
above the size of a large rabbit. If we recollect 
right, when thus left to grow naturally, the quicks 
were planted closer together than when in double 
rows. 
In those districts where stones abound, they 
are much used for fences, and are laid up in a 
handsomer and stronger manner than we are ac¬ 
customed to at home. We have seen miles after 
miles of them along the highway, especially such 
as enclose the parks, pointed with as much neat¬ 
ness as the mason’s work of a house. The ugly 
zig-zag fences which are so common in the United 
States, are unknown here; neither is our more 
sightly post and rail fence to be seen, timber being 
too scarce and valuable for such purposes. Posts 
and sawed stuff are occasionally found; but what 
is more common, is to set posts about eight feet 
apart, and mortise the bars into them, one at the 
top, and the other near the bottom, and to these 
nail thin slats, four to five feet long, split out in 
the same manner as we rive staves, and put them 
on perpendicularly to the cross pieces. This makes 
a close good fence, and when whitewashed, with 
rows of trees planted along the line, it presents a 
very neat appearance. Clay walls, built en pise , are 
not sufficiently common to speak of in England, 
the climate being altogether too moist for them to 
endure long, as a general rule. 
The last method of fencing which we shall men¬ 
tion is embankments. These are laid up, slightly 
sloping with dirt, about four feet high, excavated 
from a ditch running along the line of the fence, 
and are then sodded up their sides and on the top. 
This makes a much better fence in a tenacious 
clay soil than we could have supposed; and the only 
objection is, that the sod is very liable to work out 
m squares, leaving the earth then to crumble down, 
and the fence in continual want of repair. In a 
climate of the severity of the winter of our northern 
? 
and middle states, a sod fence would not answer 
at all; for the frost would cause it to crumble badly 
every spring upon being liberated from the ground. 
Some districts in England are only fenced round 
the pasture portions of the farms, for the range of 
the stock, leaving all the rest open to tillage. Other 
portions of the country have no fences at all, ex¬ 
cept for yards around the barns and sheds. The 
flocks and herds are kept as on the continent, by 
herdsmen and shepherds with their dogs; and the 
animals being brought up to this mode of pastur¬ 
ing, are not unruly at all, but gentle and tractable, 
and are easily retained within their limits with, 
scarcely any trouble. When we first visited Europe 
fifteen years ago, w e were convinced that this would 
be the best method to adopt in America. We 
have often wondered, that our intelligent and high- 
spirited countrymen would so long and so tamely 
submit to the intolerable burden of fencing against 
their neighbors’ unruly cattle; and are satisfied, 
that if the subject could be placed before them in 
its true light, they would not be much longer. 
We know of no part of the United States which 
is unfenced, except a portion of the beautiful 
valley of the Connecticut; and if any one is de¬ 
sirous to see how easily this system can be carried 
into effect, and what an immense saving it proves 
to the landed interest of this section of the coun¬ 
try, he would do well to make a visit there and 
judge for himself. 
Another very pleasing feature in the fences of 
England, and whieh has been adopted to a great¬ 
er or less extent in the older settled parts of the 
United States, are the rows of trees and belts of 
forest planted along their lines. The shade of 
these, in this cool, moist climate, does not seem to 
essentially injure the growth of the hedges, al¬ 
though beneath our more sunny sky, we are satis¬ 
fied that they would. Rows and belts of shrub¬ 
bery and trees along the margin of the road, and 
up and down the division fences of the estates s 
give England an appearance in the distance of be¬ 
ing a well-wooded country; and in the early part 
of June, when the hawthorn is in full bloom, the 
fields look as if enclosed by walls of flowers. It 
is a charming country, made so principally by the 
hand of man, and with our decided rural predilec¬ 
tions, we wandered over it with a pleasure we 
can not describe. Would that more of our coun¬ 
trymen engaged in farming operations could visit 
it; we are satisfied that they would generally re¬ 
turn to their homes, determined to cultivate less 
land, and in better style, and do more to adorn its 
surface. There are many estates in Great Britain 
