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492 II USB A 
The fences now chiefly creeled to farms, under dif¬ 
ferent cifcumftances and fituations, are the following: 
Hedge and Bank. —This confifts of a hedge planted 
upon the plain ground, with a bank or mound of earth 
railed behind it by way of proteftion. The bank, in 
forne inltances, is faced with fod on both lides, Hoping 
gradually towards the top; while in others it is only 
faced on one fide, which is nearly perpendicular, and has 
a gradual Hope on the other, fimilar to the bank made 
with the earth taken out -of an ordinary ditch. The 
hedge is frequently planted at the bottom of the perpen¬ 
dicular fide that is faced with fod; but in many cafes 
it is planted on the other fide, near the bottom of the 
Hoping bank of earth. And this is certainly the belt 
fituation for the hedge; for if the earth with which the 
bank is made has been taken, as it generally is, from the 
fide that is faced with fod, this fencing will form a kind 
of funk fence, the bottom of which will be conliderabiy 
below the common furface: of courfe, any hedge planted 
in fuch a fitqation will not only be put into the worft of 
the foil, but wiil at the fame time be in danger of pe- 
rilhing from the moifture lodging there, and chilling the 
roots; whereas, when it is planted on the other fide,. 
near the bottom of the (lope, the plants have the belt of 
the foil to llrike into, and are in a great meafure fecured 
again id: the bad effects of ftagnant water. It may be re¬ 
marked too, that in bleak fituations, where hedges cah- 
not be fuccefsfully reared without Ihelter, the bank of 
earth is a good contrivance, as it fcreens the,young plants 
from the weather, till they acquire a degree of itrength 
Tufficient to enable them to refill the rigour of the climate, 
which 'molt plants are able to do when they reach a 
certain age and ftrertgth. In fuch cafes thefe earthen 
mounds are often effentialto the prefervation of good 
hedges, eipecialiy of white-thorn. 
Hedge in face of Bank.— -This differ^ from the 
former principally, in having the hedge in the front of 
the bank conliderabiy above the common furface, in- 
ftead of having it at the bottom, as above defcribed. 
The work is executed in the following manner: The 
bank, faced with fod on one fide, and having a gradual 
Hope on the other, is raifed to the height of two feet; 
the top is then levelled, and covered with two inches Of 
good earth, above which’the plants are laid horizontally, 
with their tops projecting about a couple of inches over 
the edge of the bank; the roots are afterwards covered 
with the fame mould, and the bank raifed to the intended 
height. This fence, however, is inferior to that already 
defcribed, as the hedge-plants, by being railed fo much 
above the common furface, are liable- to great injury, not 
only front the bank decaying and mouldering down, and 
by that means depriving them of nourilhment at the 
roots, but alfo from the effects of frolt, drought, &c. In 
many infta'nees, neverthelefs, it is very ufeful, efpecially 
in the inclolmg of wet lands, where hedges would not 
thrive' if placed upon the common furface ; but in fuch 
cafes great advantage would afife front placing the hedge- 
plants about eight or ten inches back from the front, 
fimilarto what is done in the common ditches; and, planted 
in this way, there is iefs rifle of the bank mouldering 
down, Thefe hedge and bank fences are often met with 
by the fides of highways, in fituations where tiie ground 
has a Hidden declivity towards the road. In thefe cafes 
it is common to cut down the face of the bank, m a 
Hoping direction, to within eighteen or twenty inches of 
the bottom, where a bed is made of about two feet in 
breadth, covered with good earth broken very final 1; upon 
this the plants are laid, with their extremities.about nine 
inches from the front; the roots are then covered with 
eight or nine inches of good mould; the bed below with 
the projection, in this cafe, J’erves the fame purpofe as the 
fcarcement of the common ditch, and affords complete 
•room for cleaning, and drawing up the earth to the roots 
of the hedge-plants. In the confttuition of this fence it 
is effential to give t he face of the bank fuch a Hope, as to 
N D R Y. 
prevent the earth from tumbling down ; for if this is ne¬ 
glected, it will be continually failing in large maifes after 
every frolt, or fall of fnow or rain. 
Mound, or Devonshire Fence. —This confifts of an 
earthen mound, feven feet wide at bottom, five feet in 
height, and four feet broad at top, being moft’ly car.ied 
up between two fod-banks, and upon the middle of which 
a row of quick is planted, and on each fide, at two feet 
diftance, a row of withy ltakes, of about an inch in dia¬ 
meter each, and from eighteen inches to two feet long, 
are fttick in, Hoping a little outwards; thefe ftakes foon 
take root, and form a kind of live fence for the preferva¬ 
tion of the quick in the middle. Different'forts of fide- 
plants however may be proper in forming fences of this 
nature in different foils and fituations. In poor thin foils, 
in bleak and expofed diffrifts, furze is often found to af¬ 
ford a good protection, as well as a coiifiderabie Ihelter. 
But ill this cafe the fides Ihould be kept pruned, fo as to 
prefent a clofe firm face above the top of the bank. In fimi- 
lar expofed high tracks of land, the beech and Sycamore are 
likewife found beneficial in railing fences. But, in lower 
more favourable expofures for the growth of hedge-wood, 
the hazel, Oak, and alh, may be hadrecourfe to for this pur¬ 
pofe. The fallow is alfo a fort of wood that often grows 
well oiathe more high and dry afpefts, and may be ufeful 
as a fence-wood in fuch places. 
Hedge and dead Hedge.— This fence confifts of a 
row of quick, or other hedge-plants, fet either upon the 
plain furface, or in the face of a ditch or bank, having a 
dead hedge to protect them. This dead hedge anfwers a 
double purpofe, namely, that of protecting the young 
plants froih the.injuries they may receive from'cattle, or 
the inclemency of the weather; and at the lame time 
forming a terhperary inclofure, which lafts till the hedge 
isgfowh up. Where deal hedges are made of ptoper ma¬ 
terials, fuch as the cuttings of thorn, &c. and are well let 
into the ground, they ah fiver the purpofe very completely, 
and Ihould always be ufed for the protection of young 
hedges, where the materials can be obtained. 
Where land is much expofed to the fea-air, it is found 
extremely difficult to raife quick-fences upon it, as this 
air, probably from the fuperabundant quantity of muri¬ 
atic acid which it conveys, and which is readily feparated 
from it, on account of its loofe Hate of combination, is 
highly deltruCtive to the white thorn, and feverai other 
plants employed in the making of fences- The bell mode 
in fuch fituations is probably that of planting beech, as 
it feems, in a great meafure, proof- againft the injurious 
operation of this kind of air. The bank on which it is 
to be planted, Ihould be- fix or feven feet high, and four 
or five in width at the top; on which the young beech- 
plants are to be put in^-in two or three rows, at about the 
diltance of a foot from each other, and fufficiently thick 
in the rows. In moll cafes no ditch is made ; but in fome 
. ir.ilances the banks, or mounds, are prevented from crum¬ 
bling down either by a low Hone wall, or lome other fui't- 
able guard at the bale. The growth of thefe plants is ra¬ 
pid ; they therefore foon form, not merely an excellent and 
beautiful fence, but one that is highly advantageous both 
in refpect to the Ihelter which it affords, from the leaves 
being retained 'to a late period, and the annual profit that 
may be derived from it; as, when at maturity, one of the 
rows may be alternately cut and converted to various 
ufes, and the others plafiied or trimmed, fo as to yield 
much wood for fuel or other purpofes. 
In planting hedges of willow or withy and other aqua¬ 
tic plants, the'ground fiiould always be made as mellow 
sand friable as polfible, and the Ihoots to be employed of 
two or thi'ee years’ growth, and frelh cut off at'the time 
of ufing them. They are then to' be put into a narrow 
ridge of ground, prepared for them at the difiance of 
eight or ten inches from each other, the tops being bent 
different wavs, and plaited firmly together fo as to make 
a fence. The grey willow is probably the beff kind for 
this purpofe. 
The 
