H E D 



II E D 



good shelter in winter, anil is ornamental at all 

 seasons. The only objection to it is, its slowness 

 of growth the first four or five years. 



Hedges of this sort are formed either by sow- 

 ing the seeds at once in the places where the 

 Hedges are to be, in drills an inch and half 

 deep ; or by planting young plants of two or 

 three years old from the nursery : this is rather the 

 best practice. They may be planted in one or 

 two rows : though two rows planted a foot 

 asunder, and the same distance in each row, 

 form the thickest and most effectual hedge. 

 They may be kept in order by clipping once or 

 twice a year. 



Yew is occasionally used as a boundary 

 Hedge, and when full grown is very thick and 

 close. 



These Hedges should be guarded by a ditch or 

 bank on the outside. They are best raised by 

 setting the young plants. 



The Furze plant is sometimes used for an out- 

 ward evergreen Hedge, but which makes only 

 an indifferent one, being apt to die off in gaps. 

 As it grows well upon dry banks, or any poor 

 dry soil, it may be used for a Hedge in such 

 cases: these are raised by sowing the seeds in au- 

 tumn at once in the place where it is designed 

 to have the hedge, in drills an inch and a half 

 deep. 



In the general management of these Hedges 

 it may be observed that all outward ones, de- 

 signed as fences, should have a ditch and bank ; 

 the ditch, &c. serving as a defence to the 

 young Hedge against cattle, &c. till it is grown 

 up, and afterwards rendering the whole a more 

 effectual outward fence. When planted on the 

 level ground, they should be defended with rail- 

 ings, open pales, hurdles, or a stake and bush 

 di_ad hedge, till advanced to the above growth. 

 Where a ditch and bank is intended, the ditch 

 on the outside should be three feet wide at top, 

 two or three deep, sloping to one wide at bot- 

 tom ; raising a low bank on the inside on which 

 to set the plants, which may be planted either 

 on the side of the inner bank, in two rows one 

 above the other, a foot asunder, as commonly 

 practised for quick Hedges, putting them in in 

 forming the ditch and bank ; or be planted en- 

 tirely on the top of the bank, first forming the 

 ditch and bank, and levelling the top so as to 

 form a sort of border orbed extending longways, 

 planting the sets in one or two rows the whole 

 length ; but two rows a foot asunder is the 

 most eligible for all outward fences, as they al- 

 ways form the thickest, strongest, and most 

 effectual Hedge-fences. 



In whichever way the planting is performed, 

 the roots of the sets should always be bedded in, 



in the finest loose mellow mould that can be 

 procured. With this care large plants will suc- 

 ceed in the most perfect manner. 



Division Hedgt s. — When Hedges are designed 

 for middle fences to divide grounds, two sided 

 banks are raised a yard high, and as broad at 

 top, having a slight ditch on each side, and each 

 side of the bank funned with square spit-turfe 

 from the adjoining ground, and the middle filled 

 up with mould from the ditches on each side} 

 so that, when finished, it forms a yard-wide 

 bed all the way on the top. Along the middle 

 of these, plant two rows of hedge-sets, or sow 

 the seed in drills as has been directed. 



Cut where no ditch or raised bank is required,, 

 the place for the Hedge should be marked out 

 on the level ground, two or three feet broad, dig- 

 ging it along one or two good spades deep. The 

 sets should then be planted in one or two rows, 

 ranging along the middle ; or the seeds sown at 

 once \\ here it is intended to have the Hedge, in two 

 drills, a foot asunder, the whole length. For 

 interior garden Hedges one row is generally suf- 

 ficient, either of sets planted or seeds sown. In 

 this mode, where the sets are of a tolerably large 

 size and strength, it will be proper to form a trench, 

 in which to plant each row, with the roots all a 

 regular depth, and the tops upright; or, if quite 

 small voung sets, they may be planted with a 

 dibble'. 



Inthefirstmethod, one or two narrow trenches 

 should be formed longways, for a single or dou- 

 ble row of sets, with the spade, by cutting out 

 a narrow trench six or eight inches deep all 

 along, for each row of plants, making one side 

 upright ; then the sets should be placed in the 

 trench close against the upright side, six, eight, 

 or ten inches asunder in the row, with their tops 

 all upright, several inches above ground ; and 

 turn in the earth directly upon the roots, &c. to 

 the depth of the trench,' treading the earth there- 

 to moderately firm, to fix the plants in the pro- 

 per position as the work proceeds; — and if in- 

 tended to plant two rows of sets to form a dou- 

 ble Hedge, make another trench a foot distance 

 from the first, and plant the sets in the same 

 manner and distance ; placing those of the se- 

 cond trench- opposite the interval spaces of the 

 first row of sets, earthing them in regularly as 

 the others, and treading it down close to the 

 sets, evenly along the surface. 



In trench-planting, the sets may likewise be 

 put in, by planting them as you proceed in dig- 

 ging the trench; marking out with the spade a 

 foot-wide trench, digging out a spade depth of 

 earth at one end, the width of the trench, then 

 placing a set therein close to one side ; or, if in- 

 tended to have a double Hedge, placing two 



