| avenues. 
} 
——— = eet —- 
298 
places which are not exposed to rough winds. 
The common chestnut, when growing isolatedly, 
is inclined rather to spread than to grow tall; 
but, when planted in close lines or clumps, and 
upon good soil, it rises to a considerable height, 
and has an agreeable appearance. The beech, 
though a beautiful tree, and though growing 
well in Britain as a spontaneous production, is 
very liable to serious injury from transplanta- 
tion, and, on that account, is not suitable for 
The oak might in some respects serve 
exceedingly well for avenues, but is of far too 
slow a growth. The abele has bad habits, and is 
very far from being a handsome tree; yet it is 
eminently suitable on spongy soils, or when the 
chief consideration is rapid growth. The alder, 
the ash, the plane, and the sycamore, have been 
but rarely used for planting avenues. 
The only method of planting avenues, for many 
an age, was simply to place the trees in regular 
rows, at regular distances ; and when any attempt 
was made at a very imposing effect, the princi- 
pal device adopted was to plant two rows on each 
side of the walk, and to select for the outer rows 
_ a taller and more massive tree than was used for 
the inner rows. But about 100 or 120 years ago, 
| anewand more magnificent method was intro- 
_ duced. This method consists in planting the 
_ trees in clumps or platoons, making the opening 
much wider than in the old method, placing the 
clumps about 300 feet distant from one another, 
and assigning to each clump seven or nine trees, 
When this method is practised, the trees in each 
_ clump should be planted 30 feet distant from one 
another, and a ditch and fence should be formed 
round each clump, to prevent the barking of the 
trees by deer. But the old method of single re- 
gular rows is far preferable for all short walks ; 
and the method of lines of clumps is best suited 
for very long walks through great and magnifi- 
cent parks. As to the miserable abortions which 
take the name of avenues in the approaches to 
some villas and farmeries, and which consist of 
some score or two dozen of willows, poplars, or 
Scottish pines, they cannot, as avenues, be too 
soon or unsparingly made acquainted with the 
woodman’s axe. A few trees about even the 
meanest country place, are always pleasant, and 
may generally be useful; but by all means let a 
little taste be exercised in choosing the kinds, 
and fixing the arrangement. 
AVERAGE. The medium between two ex- 
tremes, or the mean of several sums. But it is 
used in various technical senses in commerce; 
and, in particular, it has a peculiar sense in the 
corn-trade. In1770, it was enacted that the jus- 
tices at quarter-sessions should order returns to 
be made weekly of the price of corn, from not 
less than two or more than six towns in each 
county, to a receiver of corn returns, appointed 
| by the lords of the treasury, who was directed 
to publish an abstract of such returns weekly, in 
the London Gazette. The first of these weekly 
AVERAGE. 
averages appeared in the Gazette of Nov. 24, 
1770. In 1781, it was enacted that the prices 
for regulating exportation should be determined 
by the averages of the London Corn-exchange ; 
and, in 1789, England and Wales were divided 
into twelve districts, in each of which the jus- 
tices of the peace were directed to appoint per- 
sons to ascertain the prices of corn at the sea- 
ports and principal market-towns, and to make 
returns thereof weekly to the receiver in London, 
who, on the first day of February, May, August, 
and November, was to ascertain the average of 
the previous six weeks,—except as to oats, the 
price of which was to be taken on an average of 
twelve weeks. The averages thus ascertuined 
were sent to the customs’ officers in each district 
to regulate the importation for the ensuing three 
months ; but exportations were still regulated by 
the average tables weekly. In 1791, the number 
of districts in the kingdom was increased by 
adding Scotland, and dividing it into four dis- 
tricts ; but the districts themselves were still 
kept separate, and the distinction between aver- 
ages for regulating exports, and those for fixing 
the duties on imports, was retained. In 1804, 
the returns from all England were directed to be 
taken together, and one average price struck; 
and the same was done in the case of Scotland; | 
and in the following year one average price was 
adopted in England and Scotland for both im- | 
ports and exports. In 1815, the celebrated Corn- 
law enacted that the averages should be fixed 
every three months upon the prices of the pre- 
vious six weeks, and should continue the same | 
See article | 
until the expiration of the quarter. 
Corn-Laws. 
The following table of the average price of 
SS | 
| 
| 
wheat in England, and at Danizic, from 1746 to | 
1846, will be acceptable to many readers :— 
Annual Aver. Price 
of Wheat at Dant- 
Annual Aver. Price 
of Wheat in Eng- 
land and Wales, 
per Winchester 
Qr., down to 1770, 
zic, per Winches- 
ter Qr., down to 
1821, and per Im- 
YEAR. and perImperial _perial Qr. subse- | 
Qr. subsequently. quently. 
s. d. UL 
1746 34 8 2) 1 
1747 36 11 24 2 
1748 32 10 2184] 
WA9- ZO 22 8 
_ 1750 5 28 10 20 8 
iol. . 84 2 200 57. 
1752 : 37 2 22 3 
1753 39 8 21 6 
1754 30 9 LOmaT 
1755 30 1 18 4 
1756 40 1 23 «1 
1757 53 4 31 0. 
1758 44 5 29 0 
NCQ) ss . 89 3 75 a 
1760 4 32 5 19 0 
W76l Ss 26 10 19 4 
1762 34 8 
1763—C«t . 386 2 
1764 : 41 6 
1765 48 0 
1766 43 1 
