Mintz describes the hedges of living plants that mark boundaries on the Fond-des-Negres plateau, a coffee, sisal and vetiver district of Haiti's southern peninsula where production is carried on in small peasant holdings and houses stand in yards, or lakou, set apart from the fields.

Only a handful of species are used, each chosen for known qualities. Bromelia pinguin turns back any animal and holds earth on paths worn below the level of the land, but it harbours snakes and rats. The cactus-like Euphorbia lactea tolerates dry ground and grows in orderly lines. The quick-growing parese makes the best barrier of all, though goats and horses will strip its leaves. Croton and Pedilanthus are mostly ornamental; sisal and vetiver matter more for rope, thatch and essential oil than for fencing.

Erosion on the slopes is severe, yet terracing and contour planting are unknown. Mintz suggests extending a familiar practice rather than importing a new one.