196 Account of the pro-gress of a Cedar Hedge, 



to commence the second year, and that its form ought 

 to be regulated with a view to limit all its wounds to 

 small boughs. 



Apertures are certainly closed by bending boughs 

 into them, to be covered with earth about the middle, 

 where they will take root, and their extremities will 

 of course grow and spread. By raising the bank of the 

 ditch about six inches, after the hedge is nearly grown, 

 the earth and the bottom boughs (if the latter have been 

 properly managed) are brought into close contact; 

 and the hillocks made in planting boughs, are brought 

 to a level, by filling up the interstices. 



The culture of a cedar hedge on a ditch is extreme- 

 ly easy, and the expense of manuring it trifling. The 

 surface of the bank of the ditch is drawn with a hand 

 hoe, from the top to the bottom, together with the 

 weeds and grass on it ; ground so covered with the 

 boughs, as not to admit of the hoe, is weeded with a 

 spade ; and shrubs not otherwise to be removed, are 

 cut up with a mallet and a wide chissel, fixed to a 

 handle three feet long. The collection of earth, grass, 

 and weeds, lies a few days in the ditch, on one side, 

 and at the bottom of its bank on the other, with the 

 clippings of the hedge, and constitute a compost, the 

 whole of which is returned as a dressing for the hedge, 

 which, though poor, is beneficial. Without culture, a 

 hedge is not to be expected. 



The experiment of cultivating annually and alter- 

 nately, a moiety of the same field in Indian corn, keep- 

 ing the other moiety ungrazed, and using gypsum, is 



