MISCELLANEOUS WORK 195 



The use of wire is to be deprecated, as a man brushiDg 

 the hedge afterwards may blunt his hedge-bill upon it 

 and make him afraid to cut close. 



After layering is finished, all rough ends must be trimmed 

 off, the rubbish burned, and the ditches, if any, cleaned 

 out. 



If there are gaps in the hedge, layers should be pegged 

 down into the soil, as explained in " Nursery Work," and 

 covered with soil, or the gaps must be planted up with 

 strong transplants. 



The hedge should be brushed annually until it again 

 becomes too thin or too loose, and then left to grow long 

 shoots to use as layers. In some districts hedges are 

 layered regularly every ten years or so. They are brushed 

 annually for six years and left to grow for four years. 

 Another method adopted for renewing hedges is to cut the 

 old stumps halfway through, as for plashing, but they 

 are bent over at right anq'-^i to the hne of hedge instead 

 of in Hne with it. The^ are staked and wattled, making a 

 very good protecting fence untU the young shoots coming 

 from the stools are strong enough to form a hedge by 

 themselves. 



How to Measure a Plantation. 



To estimate for the number of plants required, it is 

 necessary to know the area of the ground to be planted. 

 Also, when valuing a wood, it is necessary to know how 

 many acres there are. This may usually be found by 

 reference to an Ordnance Survey map. but often it is 



