150 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



alternate freezings and thawings of March and April do not affect it, and 

 the earliest winter finds it prepared for his coming. 



Unlike the wild plum, no shoot is ever thrown up from its roots, and 

 the gardener is spared the trouble and annoyance of constantly fighting 

 sprouts, as he is obliged to do with many other hedges. It knows its 

 place and steadfastly keeps it. It does not encroach upon the domain of 

 anything else and permits nothing else to kill it out and usurp its place. 

 A well set, well kept buckthorn hedge is not only a most desirable orna- 

 ment to the garden or lawn, but is a complete and satisfactory fence as 

 well. It is but little trouble to start one and still less to take care of it 

 afterward, and it is passing strange that so few of the otherwise beauti- 

 ful grounds in this enterprising state, owned by men of taste and means, 

 are not further adorned and protected by a border which would cost so 

 little and add so much to their attractions. 



For the benefit of such as would like to grow a hedge of this kind, but 

 are without experience and want directions, I will say buy a pound of 

 buckthorn seed of James J. H. Gregory, of Marblehead, Mass— that is 

 where I got mine — or some other responsible dealer, and, as soon as the 

 frost is out of the ground in the spring to the depth of three'br four 

 inches, mix the seed well with about two quarts of finely pulverized 

 sandy soil, and having rubbed it well with the hands in a pan of water to 

 separate the three seeds which grow in each pocket, place the mix- 

 ture in a box six inches square and six inches deep, in the bottom of 

 which several holes have been previously bored for drainage, and cover the 

 whole with half an inch of fine soil. Sink the box in loose soil in some 

 sunny spot and occasionally sprinkle with soft water slightly warmed. 

 Be careful not to water too frequently or too abundantly as in such case 

 the seed will rot. If the season be rainy it will not need watering at all. 

 The ground should be kept somewhat moist but not wet. About the 

 first of May begin to examine the seed to see if it has sprouted. Do this 

 at first every three days and oftener as the season advances and the soil 

 becomes warmer. When the little white roots begin to protrude from 

 the seeds make a garden bed about a rod square and sow the seeds half 

 an inch apart and half an inch deep, making fourteen rows and sowing 

 about four hundred seeds to the row. The plants should grow two years 

 in the bed before being set in the hedge row. Cut back to half their 

 length and set in parallel rows one foot apart, and plant one foot apart 

 in the row breaking joint so that each shall be opposite the midway 

 point between the nearest two in the other row. 



Prune severely for the first few years so as to make the hedge thicken 

 up well at the bottom. Here I made a mistake with mine in my anxiety 

 to have a full grown hedge as soon as possible. I let it grow up too fast 

 and as a result I have a hedge very thick and compact near the top but a 

 little too open just above the surface of the ground. If it were to do over 

 again I should not permit it to gain more than four inches in height each 

 year till it reaches four feet and would keep it there ever after. 



AVhere the hedge is tximmed the ends of the limbs do not show at all, 

 but the leaves completely cover them and present to the eye a smooth 

 and glassy wall of living green of whatever shape the taste of the owner 

 may dictate. 



To trim a hedge twenty-five rods long and keep it in good form 

 through a season requires about three days work of a man equipped with 

 a good pair of hedge shears. 



A pound of seed should make j80 rods of hedge. 



