MARCH.] THE NURSERY. .255 



it free from weeds during the period of their growth. In au- 

 tumn, the potatoes being removed, the entire slip should be 

 ploughed deep, gathering it up towards the centre, and in October 

 or March, having your quicks previously raised in the Nursery, as 

 directed in that department in February, to the height of two or 

 three feet, take up the plants carefully without injuring their roots, 

 prune off the extremities of the roots and any long straggling 

 shoots of their tops, then plant them in a trench made along the 

 centre of this slip of ground for their reception, at the distance of 

 from six to eight inches plant from plant, and settle the earth well 

 into their roots : observing, previously to planting, to match the 

 quicks, that is, to plant all the larger sized together, for it is im- 

 proper, as before observed, to intermix the small and large, as the 

 former would be smothered by the latter, which would occasion in- 

 jurious and unsightly breaches in the fence. 



If you have plenty of quicks, it will be of advantage to plant a 

 double row, at the distance of a foot from each other ; in which cas.e, 

 the plants may be set ten inches apart in the rows, placing those of 

 one row, directly opposite the intervals of the other. This method 

 I would prefer to the former. 



The quicks must afterwards be protected from cattle, by palings 

 or some kind of dead fences, till they arrive at a proper growth not 

 to be injured thereby, and for the two first years kept perfectly free 

 from weeds, for without these precautions, it will be in vain to plant 

 them. 



The quicks being tolerably close planted, will need no annual top 

 clipping to thicken them ; but it will be very proper to shorten oc- 

 casionally, any extraordinary vigorous top shoots, so as to keep them 

 all pretty equal, and also such as branch out too much at the sides. 

 However, it would be very advisable to give as light dressing to the 

 sides every October or March, for a few years, with a pair of hedge- 

 shears, which may be done in a short time, narrowing the hedge a 

 little towards the top, to afford the benefit of the air, rain, and dews, 

 to the lower side-shoots : this will encourage their growth, and 

 cause the hedge to be well furnished from bottom to top. 



When a hedge of this kind is to be made, it might be the most 

 convenient way to plant it within a few feet of some established post 

 and rail fence, and erect another as many feet from it on the oppo- 

 site side, each at such a distance as would be sufficient to keep off 

 cattle ; here it would be effectually protected until arrived at a 

 proper height and strength, when both these ranges of palings might 

 be taken away to answer similar purposes ; but again and again, 

 would I suggest the necessity of keeping the plants free from the 

 annoyance of weeds, durir.g the first two or three years of their 

 growth, after which they will be completely furnished and out of 

 their power. 



The autumn or spring following after planting, examine your 

 hedge, and if any of the plants have died, or seem to be in a very 

 bad state of health, replace them with others from the Nursery, 

 placing some fresh earth to the roots of each. 



