LIVE FENCES. 9 



wire, as a protective fence; but the ignorance of sound prin- 

 ciples in pruning, which has had much to do with the failure 

 of live fences, will soon leave these combinations as inverted 

 broomsticks turned over by the wind. For all our literature, 

 I am ashamed to say that sound horticultural knowledge has 

 not thoroughly prospered in the United States. 



Sincerely yours, THOS. MEEHAN. 



GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 

 My Dear Mr. Powell: 



There are constant reminders of the wave theory of ac- 

 counting for almost everything in the universe. We had a 

 wave of planting live fences along in the seventies a regular 

 tidal wave. But after a few years we began to feel very tired 

 over the results, and the digging-out process is still going on. 

 The hedge fence is entirely unsuited to the American farmer. 

 He will not give it the attention necessary to make it effective 

 as a fence, and when it does not accomplish that purpose he 

 has no use for it. Osage orange was used mostly in our sec- 

 tion, but there are relics of honey locust fences occasionally 

 to be found. In some places where windbreaks are desired, 

 the Osage is still retained and is quite effective although 

 for this purpose alone other plants are more desirable. In a 

 few places in our state the white willow was sold by enter- 

 prising agents, and the farmers were deluded into the belief 

 that in ten years they would become a stock barrier. Of course, 

 for fencing purposes, the willow was a failure ; yet many miles 

 of these willows have done good service in holding snow on 

 wheat fields during trying seasons. My own opinion of hedge 

 fences is that they do not add to the attractiveness of the 

 country. Compared with wire they are expensive. If allowed 

 to grow high they hide the landscape, and give an air of 

 exclusiveness that is un-American. Fences are growing un- 

 popular, and the meanest fence to get rid of is the hedge fence. 

 Cordially yours, CHAS. W. GARFIELD. 



There may be, however, some people who still 

 desire to plant live fences, and I desire in this brief 

 chapter to give to such all the information that is 

 requisite. I shall therefore close the discussion by 

 giving a short and admirable paper by Robert C. 

 McMurtrie of Philadelphia in its entirety. It is 

 the best brief statement I have ever seen for dealing 

 with the Osage orange. 



