Book IV. HEDGE-FENCES. 437 



of tlie hedge becomes so thick, tliat neither sheep, cattle, or indeed any animal, can break- 

 through it. 



2799. In whichever of these ways the hedge is cut down, the directions formerly given 

 for the management of young hedges should be strictly attended to, as soon as the young, 

 shoots have made some progress; the side branches should be trimmed, and the hedge 

 put into a proper shape, preserving it broad and full at bottom, and tapering gradually 

 towards the top. The same caution is also to be observed with regard to the upright 

 shoots, none of which should be shortened till the hedge has attained the wished-for 

 height. It is surprising what close beautiful fences are raised in this way in a few years, 

 from the stumps of some overgrown useless hedges j which, at the same time with their 

 being naked below, and of course faulty as fences, occupied four times the space they 

 ought to have done, to the great loss both of the proprietor and farmer. 



2800. In respect toJUling up gaps in hedges, when young hedges are planted, if the. 

 plants made use of are of a nature suited to the soil, the hedge may be kept free of gaps 

 with very little trouble ; for that purpose it is, however, necessary, about the end of the 

 first autumn after the hedge has been planted, to examine it carefully throughout its 

 whole extent, take out such plants as are either in a decaying sickly state, or those that 

 are actually dead, and fill up the spaces they occupied with the strongest and most, 

 vigorous ones that can be found ; where this care is taken for the first two or three years, 

 there will be no defects in the hedge, which will be uniformly thick and strong through- 

 out. Thus far of young hedges ; but when old hedges are meant to be cut down, that 

 Jiave many gaps or open spaces in them, so wide as to prevent the possibility of the young 

 shoots filling them up, some expedient must be had recourse to, in order to render the 

 fence complete. This purpose may be answered in different ways ; the easiest and in- 

 deed the most common method is, for the hedger, when he comes to a place where any; 

 of the plants are wanting, to take one of the strongest plants next to it, and after giving 

 it a gentle stroke with the" hedge-bill, to bend it across the opening, and entwine it withi 

 the thorns on the opposite side ; indeed, as has been already stated, some have a custom- 

 of cutting down only a fourth part of the stems, and warping the remainder with these,, 

 which appear like stakes driven into the earth. Where the hedge is shortened to withia 

 three or four feet of the ground, both of these methods answer pretty well ; and the 

 openings, which would otherwise have been left, are in some degree filled up ; but when, 

 the old hedge is cut close to the earth, other methods of supplying the defects become 

 necessary. One very simple, and at the same time very effectual mode, consists in first 

 digging the ground pretty deep with a spade, and taking one of the strongest plants on- 

 each side of the opening that have been purposely left uncut, removing the earth from their 

 roots so much as to loosen them, and admit of their being bent down, and laid close to 

 the earth in the opening ; they should then be fastened down with wooden hooks or pins, 

 and entirely covered throughout the whole of their length with earth. Where this is. 

 properly executed, the plants so laid down send up a great number of young shoots, 

 which very soon fill up the vacancy ; where it is practised upon a hedge that is cut over 

 close by the surface, no other care is requisite ; but when it is done with hedges that are 

 cut at three or four feet above it, there will be a necessity for placing a temporary paling 

 in the gap, to protect the young shoots from injury till they acquire a sufficient degree of 

 strength. In cases of emergency the stronger roots of thorns and crabs will, if their ex- 

 tremities are brought up to the surface and then cut over an inch above it, throw up. 

 vigorous shoots and fill up gaps. 



2801. To mend the defects of a7i old /terfge with success, two things are absolutely 

 necessary ; the first is, that the whole of the roots of the old plants, which extend them- 

 selves into the opening, be entirely cut off; the next, that the hedge shall be cut down 

 close to the earth, for at least a yard or more on each side of it. By cutting away the 

 roots which extend themselves into the opening, the young plants are prevented from 

 being robbed of their nourishment ; and cutting down the old ones, for a little distance 

 on each side, keeps them from being shaded, and allows them to enjoy the full benefit of 

 the light and air ; cutting down so much of tlie old hedge, no doubt, renders the opening 

 larger, and of course requires more paling to supply the defect ; but tliis extra expense 

 will be more than compensated by the success with which it will be attended. In many 

 instances, these vacancies are filled up with dead wood ; indeed it is a common practice, 

 after a hedge is dressed, to cram the greatest part of the prunings into these spaces, and 

 under the bottom of the hedge, where it is any way open or naked. The most perverse 

 imagination could hardly suppose any thing more absurd ; for, if it is the wish of the 

 owner that the plants on each side should send out new branches to fill up the openings, 

 the purpose is completely defeated by cramming them full of dead brush-wood, which not 

 only excludes light and air, and prevents the extension of the branches, but, from the 

 violence and injury that is committed in thrusting in dead thorns, the plants are often 

 materially hurt ; and when this brush-wood decays, the opening, in place of being 

 diminished, is considerably enlarged ; the mischief is the same where they are thrust 



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