184 THOBN HEDGES AND THEIB MANAGEMENT. [Jan., 



top and at the sides, to about the line of those less vigorous, giving 

 the hedge at the same time as neat an appearance as possible, and at 

 every switching the wedge shape, with a little swell about the centre 

 of its sides ; by these means the greatest area of foliage would be 

 exposed to the invigorating action of sunlight, and the weakest 

 plants would not be too much shaded, and the hedge would be well 

 furnished with numerous lateral branches down to the ground, rapidly 

 increasing in strength with age. As soon as the hedge reaches 4 to 

 5 ft. high, by 2 to 3 ft. broad at base, it should be annually pruned 

 or switched back to the ' old cut,' and so soon as it is strong enough 

 to resist farm stock the protecting fences should be discontinued ; but 

 then, stock on bare pasture are very likely to eat all the young shoots 

 of the side next them, so much so as to leave the hedges but little 

 to switch at the end of the season ; and if these hedges are not of 

 vifTorous growth, and a sheep and lamb stock pasturing alongside 

 them, it would be strange indeed if the lambs did not wedge their 

 way through at the bottom of some parts and into the adjoining 

 field — it may be wheat. The sheep follow their young : paths are 

 made; the attention of cattle, if pasturing there also, are drawn 

 towards these, they bolt through, and the hedge is a fence no longer. 

 To prevent all this, if strainers and winding pillars were placed in 

 the line of hedge, as if for a 3i ft. wire fence, at the time of planting, 

 it would be a great improvement, before removing the protecting 

 fences, to run three wires in, drawn through between the branches of 

 the hedge near the bottom, and with the lightest description of fencing 

 staples to staple these wires, in the usual manner, to the strongest 

 plants in the hedge, at about three yards apart, and this would 

 effectually keep out sheep, and a fourth wire at 3i ft. above ground, 

 stapled in a similar manner, would resist cattle ; the hedge would then 

 be a wire fence and hedge all in one. 



To those who may fear that this would utterly destroy these plants 

 and in the end ruin the hedge, I may remind them that only about 

 three per cent, of the plants would be touched at all, and may state 

 that in 1870 I tried the same thing on a hedge, and that as yet no one 

 can tell from its appearance which are the plants to which the wires 

 are stapled. 



To strengthen hedges or fill up gaps by the means often seen used 

 is positively very injurious as well as unsightly. To drive posts in 

 the ground when the hedge is either open or weak is both to bark and 

 seriously split up the roots, which are the most important parts of the 

 hedge to be carefully preserved uninjured ; and to nail on rails on 

 these posts, or to pack in branches behind them, is to crush up and 

 shade so much of the hedge from the sunlight, to its injury. 



D. M'COKQUODALE. 



