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liedges mord equal in their growth. If thefe Haws 

 are fown in the places where they are defigned to re- 

 main for a fence, they will make a much greater pro- 

 grefs in a few years, than thofe which are tranfplanted ; 

 but as the feeds remain a whole year in the ground be- 

 fore the plants appear, few people care to praftife 

 this method i however, thofe who are defirous to raife 

 their hedges this way, fhould bury the Haws, by put- 

 ting them in pots foon after they are ripe, and bury- 

 ing the pots two feet deep in the ground, where they 

 may remain one year, then take them up and fow 

 them i by this preparation the plants will come up the 

 following fpring; but before they are fown, the 

 Haws fhould be bruifed with hands, and their outer 

 coverings wafhed off, whereby the feeds may be fown 

 at a more regular diftance v ror as moft of the Haws 

 inclofe four or five feeds, fo if they are fown entire 

 there will be as many plants arife in a clufter, which 

 if permitted to ftand, will prevent each other's 

 growth ; and in drawing out the fuperfluous plants, 

 there will be great danger of injuring thofe which are 



to remain. 



The next to the white Thorn is the black Thorn, 

 which, though not fo generally efteemed as the white, 

 yet it will make an excellent fence, where proper care 

 is taken in the planting and after management of it ; 

 and the loppings of this hedge make much the belt 

 bufhes for draining of Land, and are of longer dura- 

 tion for dead hedges than thofe of any other fort of 

 tree, and are very proper to mend gaps in fences ; 

 for their branches being befet with fharp thorns, 

 the cattle are not fo apt to crop them as the white 

 I'horn, and fome other forts. Thefe hedges are alfo 

 better, if the ftones of the Plumbs are fown on the 

 Ipot where they are to remain, than where the plants 

 are taken from a nurfery -, if thefe are fown in the au;- 

 tum.n foon after the fruit is ripe, the plants will come 

 up the fpring foUowin"^ '"' " ' ^ ' = -.-^ - r-- !:= 



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The Crab will alfo m^e a ftrohg durable fencfe ; thi 

 may be raifed by fowing the kernels in the place where 

 the hedge is defigned -, but then there Ihould be great 

 care takenof the plants while they are young, to keep 

 therh clearYrbm'wee^, iis'alfo to guard them from 







■ 



jWhen ^ 



fome of them may be grafted with Apples for cyder, 

 where the fence is not expoled to a public road ; but 

 thefe grafts Ihould not be nearer than thirty-five of 

 forty feet, left they fpoil the hedge, by their heads 

 overgrowing and dripping on it. ^ 

 The Holly is alfo an excellent plant for evergreen 

 hedges, and would claim the preference to either of 

 the former, were it not for the flownefs of its growth 

 while young, and the difficulty of tranfplanting the 

 lants when grown to a moderate fize. This will grow 

 eft in cold ftony Lands, where, if once it takes well, 

 the hedges may be rendered fo clofe and thick, as to 

 keep out all forts of animals, and will grow to a con- 

 fiderable height, and is of long duration, Thefe 

 hedges may be raifed^ by fowing the berries, either 

 in the place where they are defigned to remain, or by 

 planting young plants of three or four years growth j 

 but as the berries continue in the ground an entire 

 year before the plants appear, few perfons care to 

 tvait fo long ; therefore the ufual method is, to plant 

 the hedges with plants of the before-mentioned age. 

 But where this is pra^ifed, they fhould be tranfplant- 

 ed, either early in the autumn, or deferred till toward 

 the end of March ; then the furface of the ground 

 fhould be covered with mulch ^near their roots after 

 they are planted, to keep the earth moift*; and if the 

 - feafon fhould prove dry, the plants fhould be wa- 

 tered at leaft once a week, until they have taken root, 

 ottierwife they will be in danger of^mifcarrying ; for 

 •which reafon the autumnal planting is generally pre- 

 ferred to the fpring, efpecially in dry grounds. 

 The Alder will alfo make a good hedge, when planted 

 on a moift foil, or on the fide of rivers, or laro-e 

 ditches ; and will preferve the bank from being wafhed 

 away, where there are loinning ftreams ; for they fpread 

 pretty much at bottom, and fend forth fuckers from 



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their roots In great plenty ; but thefe hedges fhould 

 be fheared at leaft once a year, in order to irjcike th 

 thick. Thefe Alder hedges are very ornamental, when 

 they are well kept in large gardens ; and as thcy\vii{ 

 thrive beft on wet fwampy Lands, where many other 

 plants will not live, they fhould be felcftcd for fur' 

 fituations. 



Of late years the Furz has been much propaQ:ared for 

 hedges in feveral parts of England, and incfced v/ill 

 make a good fence on poor, fandy, or gravelly loiis 

 where few other plants will grow. The bcft mechod 

 of raifing thefe hedges is, to fow the feed about the 

 latter end of March, or the beginning of April, in tlic 

 place where the hedge is defigned ; for the plants wni 

 not bear to be tranfplanted, unlefs it be done while thev 

 are young, and then there is great hazard of their 

 taking. The ground where the feeds are to be fown 

 fhould be well cleanfed of weeds, and the furface made 

 light 5 then there ftiould be two or three drills made 

 (according to the width which the hedge is intended) 

 about half an inch deep, into which the feeds fhould 

 be fcattered pretty thick ; and then the drills Hiould 

 be filled up with the head of a rake, to cover the 

 feeds. This work fhould be performed in dry weather 

 for if much wet falls foon after the feeds are fown it 

 is apt to burft them. When the plants are come up 

 they fhould be kept clear from weeds, that they may 

 fpread and grow thick at bottom j and if thefe hedges 

 ■ are fecuredfrom cattle broufing on them, and are cut 

 every fpring juft^ before they begin to ftioot, they will 

 make an exceeding clofe fence ; but where they are 

 defigned to be cut for fuel, then the beft way is to 

 let them fpread in width ; and when they are two years 

 old, to cut them down in the fpring, juft before they 

 begin to fhoot, within two or three inches of the 

 y. ground, which wiU caufe them to fend forth a num- 

 — ber of fhoots from each root, and thereby increafe 

 -•- the'width of the hedged and by fo doing, the plants 

 V :_will not run up tall and weak, and be in danger of be- 

 ing weighed down by great falls of fnow. Thefe 

 : hedges when they are well grown, may be cut down 

 every third or fourth year for fuel j wherefore if there 

 is a treble row ;of Furz fown, at about three feet apart, 

 they may be cut down alternately, fo that there will be 

 a fence always remaining. But this is only recom- 

 ^ mended for Hich fandy Llands as lett for a fmall 

 rent, and where fuel is fcarce. The beft fort of Furz 

 for this purpofe is the greater kind, commonly called 

 the French Furz, which will grow to eic^ht or ten 

 feet high, and is not apt to fpread fo much as the or- 

 dinary fmall fort. 



Elder is fometimes planted for hedges, being very 

 quick of growth i fo that if fticks or truncheons about 

 four or five feet long be thruft into a bank flopewife 

 each way, fo as to crofs each other, and thereby form 

 a fort of chequer work, it will make a fence for fliel- 

 ter in one year. But as this is a vigorous grov/ing 

 ^ plant, it will never form a cbfe fence ^ and the 



-young fhoots being very foft and pithy, are foon 

 broken by cattle or boys in their fport. Befides, 

 where they are fufFered to bear berries, and thefe are 

 fcattered over the neighbouring Land, th'by will come 

 up the following fpring, and become very troubltfome. 

 Where thefe hedges are planted, -they may be cut 



^ down every third year near the ground; and thefe 

 ftakes (when divefted of their bark, fo as to prevent 



■ their growing) will laft longer in the ground, to fup- 

 port Vines or any other plants, which do not require 

 tall ftakes, than any other fort of tree yet known. 

 And where the trees are fufFered to grow to any con- 

 fiderable fize, the wood is as hard as Box, and there- 

 fore very ufeful for turners and inftrument makers. 

 The bell feafon for planting tliefe truncheons is foon 

 after Michaelmas, becaufe the plants fhoot very early 

 in the fpring. Of late years there have been many 

 hedges, and other plantations, made of the white ber- 

 ried Elder, for the fake of their fruit to make wine ; 

 which, if rightly made, hath the flavour of Frontiniac 

 wine, and is by fome perfons mixed with white wines, 

 and vended for it. 



