LIVE FENCES. 5 



It proved to be more hardy, and although the foliage 

 gives it a more delicate appearance, the thorns are 

 strong and the wood is stiff from the outset. A 

 very young hedge of this sort will turn animals. 

 About 1870 the honey locust was considered just 

 the thing we had long sought after and needed. It 

 was planted in the eastern states much more freely 

 than the Osage orange had been used. From obser- 

 vation I conclude it has not proved entirely unsatis- 

 factory, yet there are more short lines of this fence 

 still in existence than of any other throughout New 

 York state, and a few of them are in good condition 

 as fences. 



Next to the Osage orange and honey locust, the 

 buckthorn, although less robust, makes a fairly good 

 live fence. It has the advantage of being more 

 beautiful in growth than the Osage orange and less 

 savage in its thorns than the locust. It is possible 

 to tolerate a buckthorn fence very near your house. 



In preparing the soil for a hedge fence it should 

 be thoroughly cultivated for a width of at least three 

 or four feet. The ridges that are made by the plow 

 should be thrown toward the center. In stiff soils 

 this may be advantageously done in autumn by 

 throwing the furrows on each side from the center 

 of the hedge line. This will enable the frosts to 

 penetrate, and loosen the soil and the subsoil. A 

 little preparation in spring and you are ready for 

 planting. 



If it is desired to create a fence for immediate 

 use, set your plants from twelve to fifteen inches 

 apart, and in a single row. But if the object of the 

 fence is to turn animals, and the desire is to have a 



