C 195 3 



Account of the progress of Col. Taylor'' s Hedge ^ and on 

 cultivating Indian Corn, agreeably to a plan formerly 

 suggested,* being an Extract of a Letter to the Se- 

 cretary, dated Port Royal, Virginia, July 24, 1813. 



Read, August 10, 1813. 



My hedging experiment proceeds, not with the spi- 

 rit nrierited by its importance, but in a degree to ascer- 

 tain its practicableness. I have used no manure, some 

 culture, and only an annual clipping ; and yet the old- 

 est hedge is at this time handsome. It is however only 

 half the hedge ; the idea of planting cedars on the out- 

 side of the dead fence not having presented itself for 

 several years after they were planted within, so that 

 the latter have gotten greatly the start. Upon a view 

 of it, I believe the most incredulous would agree, that 

 when the younger half of the hedge attains to the same 

 state, a more perfect live fence will hardly be expected. 



The cedar hedge around my stable yard, being suf- 

 fered to grow too high before it was cut, it became 

 necessary to lop boughs, extending to two inches in 

 diameter. The operation was nearly destructive to the 

 hedge, and it has not yet recovered the blow. At the 

 same time I dipt, with garden shears, the young hedg- 

 es, without injuring them. From these facts it is pro- 

 bable, that the training of the hedge by clipping, ought 



♦ See Agricultural Memoirs, Vol. II. pages St^ 75, 



