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— by laying them on his ash beds, he could do no harm, and it

For remarks,&c.

might tend to smother, the weeds and rubbish, which grev up amongst the stems. He therefore, covered every other bed with the binds, when the whole plantation was three years old.— 1 saw this shaw, when it was five years old, and the hop binds were then, in a perfect state, and no weeds appearing. The wood was full six foot higher, on those beds where the binds were laid, than on the others; and the farmer supposed it would be better stuff, and more fit to cut, at seven years' growth, for hop poles, than the other beds would be, at ten years.

This excess of growth, evidently arose, from the suppression of the long weeds and grass, whose exhausting qualities, were des- troyed, and the Soil so much the more strengthened: and as ash, withe, and birch, draw their support more superficially, than most other woods, any method, that keeps this kind of wood land free from weeds, must greatly enhance the profits resulting from it, by bringing its crops in quicker succession.

In some situations, at the East end of the county, I was sorry to observe, the same shameful abuse of shredding and lopping of trees in the hedge-rows, as is practised in the vicinity of Lon- don. The unsightly appearance; the injury which the tree sus- tains; and the imposition of the person, who so shamefully per- verts the good intention of his landlord, I hope, will soon remedy this growing evil; which has, within these few years, greatly ex- tended itself.—In short, it is a practice, that if not timely checked, will ultimately destroy all hedge-row timber, which is so much es- teemed in our dock-yards, for particular purposes in ship building. It is the farmer's interest, to make every tree a pollard, and there- fore, if he is covetous, and is permitted(which is too much the case) to prune or lop his landlord's trees, under the mistaken notion, that it improves their growth, he takes care to strip them completely to the leading bough, which is likely, by every wind, to be broke off; and then the tree is to be considered a pollard. And he often, without hesitation, takes off the head at the same time he mangles the stem.

I mean not to involve the respectable yeomanry, in this charge;

H

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