6 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 272 



lives, he tliiiiks tliat a wall a foot thick imist be rather heavy. It is not at 

 all uiicoimnon lo liml hedges pruned to a width of 18 inches or 2 feet. It is 

 much better to j)rune them to a width of 3 or 4 feet, even 6, 8, or 10 feet for 

 large hedges. The side growth supplies branches to carry foliage and keep 

 the hedge j)lants ali\e and healthy. 



As everyone must have oliserved, the great defect of hedges is to thin out 

 at Ihc bottom, lose their lower branches, and eventually be entirely open for 

 some space above the ground. A large share of this trouble is due to the 

 neglect of early pruning, that is, of careful work done during the first years 

 while the hedge is being formed. Much of it is due also to pruning the side 

 branches too close. Some of it is caused by improper shaping of the hedge. 



Cross-section of Hedges 

 Good section. b. Too narrow 



d. Degenerate impnuied hedge 



c. Best section 



The accomiianying sketches will indicate more clearly what the desirable 

 procedure is. The wide hedge has more leafage and will remain longer in 

 good health; at tiie same time it will be nuich more efficient in shutting off 

 observation from the outside or in protecting the garden from wind and 

 storms. Furthermore, if the hedge is pruned so that it has a cross section 

 like a letter A instead of a letter V, the lower branches can receive much 

 more sunshine .uui will therefore make more grovvth and live longer. 



After a wrong start has been made ^\ itli a hedge it is difficult to change 

 its cross section. In cases wliere the trouble is serious, for example, where 

 the lower branches Jiave entirely died away, it may be feasible to cut the 

 hedge back to the ground and begin again as mentioned above. In milder 

 cases severe heading in at the top of the hedge may force the side branches 

 into growth, thus enabling one to broaden the cross section and imjjrove the 

 general surface of the garden hedge. 



Notes on Species and Varieties' 



Abies halsamea, Balsahi ¥m. A well-known timber tree of the north 

 woods, found native in cold swam})y lands and at higher altitudes. This species 

 is extremely ill adapted to the dry soil and sunny exposure where it is planted 

 in this exjieriment. The purpose of using it here has been to observe what 

 might be accom])]ished under the most adverse conditions. The plants have 

 lived for 10 years without losing any, but the growth has been poor and the 

 hedge is obviously not a success. The hedge has been sheared to a height of 

 3 feet f) inches, .\pparently the balsam fir will stand shearing as well as 



' Tlio nomenclature in this tmlletin follows Stanilardizi'd Plant Karnes, Salem, 1923. 



