HEAT, BOTTOM. 



243 



HEDGES. 



ing the pots up to the rims in ashes or 

 cocoa-nut fibre ; plenty of air should be 

 given, not forgetting to water when re- 

 quired. Keep in the frame until the end 

 of March or the beginning of April, giving 

 plenty of air on warm days. Then shift 

 into 8-inch pots, and plunge in ashes or 

 fibre as before. Keep close for a few days, 

 and then admit air gradually. All plants 

 should have short sticks placed to them, 

 and the shoots tied carefully to the sticks. 

 Plants in pots often furnish splendid blooms 

 for exhibition. 



Heat, Bottom. See Bottom Heat. 

 Heaths. See Erica or Heath 



Hedera. See ivy. 

 Hedges. 



Hedges, if properly managed, undoubt 

 edly constitute the cheapest and most last 

 ing, as well as the most ornamental, of all 

 the artificial divisions of land. Few persons 

 will object to the opinion, that the country 

 where fields are divided by the common 

 white thorn or may, presents a far more 

 agreeable appearance at all seasons of the 

 year, and especially during spring, when 

 the thorns are in blossom, than those parts 

 where dwarf stone walls are made to answer 

 the same purpose. The White Thorn, 

 however, though most commonly employed, 

 is not the only plant that can be made use 

 of for separating one piece of ground from 

 another. Though for fields it is, perhaps, 

 as useful as any, still, for park and garden 

 purposes, there are many other plants 

 which may be advantageously employed. 



Thorns. The different kinds of thorn 

 tertainly embrace all the constituents of a 

 good hedge : they are of easy culture, quick 

 growth, and capable of being trained in any 

 direction ; they branch out and thicken 

 under pruning, and are not over particular 



as to soil ; but there are many other plants 

 far more ornamental which will fulfil all 

 these conditions equally well. For some 

 time the chief objection to the general in- 

 troduction of most of these was the cost, 

 but this is an objection that is rapidly being 

 got rid of, for hollies, and several other 

 evergreens, can be raised at almost as small 

 an expense as thorns. Upon every large 

 estate the woodman should have his seed- 

 bed of hollies, evergreen oaks, and other 

 things that can be used for hedge purposes. 



Holly, Few things have a better appear- 

 ance than a well-kept holly hedge. The 

 best variety for the purpose is Ilex Aqui- 

 folium, the Common Holly. In forming a 

 holly hedge, the ground should be prepared 

 by trenching, and, if the soil be poor and 

 sandy, it will be well to let it have a dress- 

 ing of manure. The best plants are those 

 of three years' growth, which have had one 

 jshitt trom tne seed-bed. They nouid ue 

 i taken up carefully with as much soil on the 

 roots as possible, and planted soofl after 

 midsummer, if possible, during the rains 

 of lulv A oroad trancn should be dug, 

 capable 01 receiving tne plants, which 

 should be placed in it singly, with their 

 roots well spread out. If the weather be 

 dry at the time, the best plan is to water 

 the bottom of the trench and to give no 

 water afterward, unless a severe drought 

 should set in. The next season, if they be 

 well rooted, the young plants may be 

 moderately pruned with the knife, after 

 which they will branch out and form them- 

 selves into a good hedge. 



Yew. Next to holly for forming a com- 

 pact and durable hedge is the yew. It 

 bears close clipping, takes up but little 

 space, and is a good shelter throughout the 

 year. The yew, however, must only be 

 used for garden purposes, or, at any rate, 

 in places where cattle can be kept from it, 

 fcr horses and all cattle are very fond of 

 the yew. and will eat greedily the young 



