hnprovcmcnts in Hedges 



187 



laburnum, &c. Such hedges can be made of 

 any height, depending entirely on the length 

 of the saplings employed. When not in leaf 

 they will be found extremely ornamental and 

 agreeable to look on, and therefore worthy of 

 encouragement, particularly when standing on 

 a level with the rails. 



If it should ever be wanted to plant such 

 hedges so as to render them useful as well as 

 ornamental, particularly on lands slightly ele- 

 vated above a damp surface, in such places 

 willows could be profitably employed, and the 

 annual cuttings taken from them would yield 

 a considerable revenue. Besides, when such 

 plaited hedges are cut for profit, they are 



more likely to be kept in order than thorn 

 hedges, particularly when they run through 

 lands which would be profitably employed for 

 the growth of willows. When planting willows 

 for such purposes, they could be inserted 

 either as growing plants or cuttings — the 

 latter will be preferable, provided the strip of 

 ground has been properly prepared for them. 

 They should be placed 12 inches apart, and 

 during the first thinning the strongest shoots 

 should be left for plaiting. After the plaiting 

 has been successfully accomplished, all after- 

 shoots could be removed for basket-making 

 purposes. 



