THE OSAGE OKANGE AS A HEDGE PLANT. 



he planted five years ago. I do not believe that any animal larger than a rat, or 

 smuUer than a Camelopard, can get through or over it; the lower branches are so 

 throughly interlaced, clear down to the ground, that you cannot see through it, and 

 I think a snake would be badly scratched before he could get through it. I asked 

 Capt. Moore if he considered it any advantage to interlace the lower branches; he 

 said, " no, that won't do, I interlaced some of mine and found they chafed each 

 other : so I took a bush scythe and cut them all out, and now you see nature has 

 done the work much more perfectly than I could. Well ; we walked along the 

 border of his fence thirty rods. First we came to some Isabella grapes the row run- 

 ning down clear into the hedge, the Osage Orange limbs brushing the grape, as the 

 wind moved them about; (we had just read your article,) but we could not see but 

 the grapes were as thrifty, bore as well, and every way as good, as further from the 

 hedge, except not quite as forward : nest came strawberiies, then sweet potatoes, 

 then nursery trees, all growing clear down to the hedge thriftily, none of them 

 retarded in growth, more than any other green shrub would have done by its shade. 



The Osage Orange is much more extensively cultivated in this than any other state. 

 The great scarcity of timber calls for hedges, and the plant was thoroughly tested 

 many years ago by Prof. J. B. Turner, of Jacksonville, 111. ; and after testing it 

 himself, he wrote about it, talked about it, raised the plants extensively, and spread 

 them all over the state, with thorough instructions for their cultivation ; so that we 

 are, or ought to be, well posted in the best manner of raising the Osage Orange hedge. 

 But still there are thousands of men amongst us who are so much afraid of being 

 humbuged, that an article like yours would prevent them from setting the plants, 

 though they could see a perfect hedge by going a few miles. 



[Our correspondent is enthusiastic, but omits to observe that in our article on the 

 Osage Orange we said, " probably our western friends can give a different account," 

 and here it is ; the ploughing up the roots every year, one part of the attention re- 

 quired, has prevented one of the objections to this plant, which otherwise does ex- 

 tend itself injuriously to the adjoining land in this vicinity. — Ed.] 



The Cork Tree. — About a hogshead of acorns of the cork oak have been introduced 

 from the South of Europe, and distributed in the Middle and Southern States for experi- 

 ment, or to test their adaptation to the climate. This tree, in its native country, where 

 it is an evergreen, usually grows to the height of 20 to 30 feet, but in England there are 

 specimens which exceed 50 feet in height, with a diameter of more than 3 feet. The sub- 

 stance familiarly known to us as cork, is the epidermis, or outer bark and sometimes 

 grows 2 or 3 "inches thick. Should the experiment succeed, it will be a subject of great 

 national importance that plantations should be established in various parts of the 

 country for the purpose of growing this useful substance, particularly in the event of a 

 war between this country and Europe, in consequence of which the supply would be 

 — Union. 



