1848 



GENESEE FARMER. 



113 



to fruit gardens, orchards, and pleasure grounds, 

 against the invasion of both human and brute 

 depredators, and to ward off the severe north and 

 west winds so injurious in many parts of the 

 country to the cuhure of the finer fruits. Rob- 

 ert Nelson of Newburyport, Mass., an experi- 

 enced man, says, in the Horticulturist for Sep- 

 tember last, that in Denmark he has planted and 

 managed several thousands of yards of it as a 

 hedge, and has seen it there from 5 to 50 years 

 old. The same writer also recommends the fol- 

 lowing mode of planiing and trimviing : , 



PLANTING. 



When two or three years old, and having attained a height 

 of about from one to two feet, the seedlings are to be trans- 

 planted wliere they are wanted for a hedge. It will be 

 remembered, that manure is almost death to the iVorway 

 Spruce, which is most fond of sandy, or still better, gravel- 

 ly soil, and I have known hedges of this tree to grow most 

 admirably, when planted on sunk fences. Where the soil 

 is very rich, it would be well to dig the trench pretty deep, 

 and lill it with small rocks to the depth of six inches. The 

 transplanting should be done in spring, and it need not be 

 very early ; even the middle of May "is often not too late, 

 unless we should have a very forward season. Transplant 

 with as large a ball of earth as possible, or else be careful 

 to get all the roots, and not to let thera dry ; press the 

 ground about tlio roots, but not too firmly ; water directly 

 and plentifully, which will settle the ground best around 

 the roots ; and afterwards occasionally in a dry season, till 

 they begin to grow. If wanted for an ornamental hedge in 

 a garden, to grow only about four feet high, the plants ought 

 to be set out from nine to twelve inches apart ; but when 

 the hedge is wished to grow sis or seven feet high, they 

 must be planted one foot apart. 



For an outside hedge, as a protection against cattle, or for 

 subdivisions in the fields, where they are desired to give 

 shelter against high winds, I would advise the choice of 

 plants two feet high, and that they be planted two feet apart. 

 As soon as the hedge is set, it will be necessary to protect 

 it with a few rails for a couple of years. 



Although many gardeners and nurserymen recommend 

 the planting of hedges in double rows, still, for several rea- 

 sons, I most decidedly prefer to plant only single rows. 

 TRIMMING. 



A good hedge ought never to be trimmed in any other 

 way than in a conical shape. Nature teaches us best, and 

 a very little observation, I think, shows plainly that this is 

 the natural way. It may be considered tasteless and absurd, 

 to trim a hedge in a square form, in point of beauty, or, 

 still worse, broad at the top and narrow at the bottom ; but 

 when we reflect that the growth of the bottom of the hedge 

 is checked and stifled by allowing it to be broadest at the 

 top, reason should leach us to abandon that mode on the 

 ground of unfitness. 



As soon as planted, stretch a line, and with a hedge shear 

 trim both sides in a convenient conical form, leaving the top 

 till the hedge almost has attained the desired height. 



A well trimmed hedge in a small garden, four feet high, 

 ought never to i)e broader at the bottom than twelve inches, 

 and should slope to the top in a very acute angle. For each 

 foot higher it may be allowed to grow two or three inches 

 broader at the bottom, and in that proportion at any height. 

 In this way only, every shoot will enjoy the full benefit of 

 air, light and moisture, and by this simple and natural meth- 

 od, you will, in a short time, form a hedge such as I have 

 often seen, as green and close from bottom to top, that even 

 a sparrow could not without difliculty pass through it. 



\ hedge, until it has attained the desirable size, may be 

 trimmed at least twice in a summer, with a hedge shears ; 

 afterwards it can be much easier, more quickly, and as well 

 done, with a sharp sickle or hook. 



Persons desirous of forming hedges of any of 

 the above plants, will learn where they may be 

 found by referring to the numerous nursery ad- 

 vertisements in this paper. 



A Beautiful new Flowering Shrub. 



Spiraea j)ru7ii folia Jlore pie no. DouUe lohite 

 fotoering Plum-tree leaved Spirma. 

 The genus Spirea furnishes quite a number of very pretty 

 flowering shrubs and plants, of which the Opnlifoiia hy- 

 2)ericifo/.ia, Salic/folia, Sarbifolia and others among the 

 shruhty — and Fibperidida, Almaria and Aruncus among the 

 herbaceous species— are well known to all cultivators of 

 ornamental plants. Dongalpii and L'mdleyana are both 

 shrubs recently introduced, but none of them equals the 

 PrnnifoUa flore plena, recently introduced into Europe by 

 Dr. SiEBOLD, who first brought the splendid Japan Lilies, 

 and other rare and beautiful things from Japan. Jlr. Van 

 HouTTE, the distinguished Belgian Horticulturist secured 

 the whole stock from Dr. Siebold, and has been cultivating 

 and selling them through Europe at one guinea per plant. 

 We have just received a few plants, and hope to test its 

 merits and hardiness in our climate in another season. We 

 cannot better give an idea of this than by quoting the fol- 

 lowing from Mr. Van Houtte, (Hovey's Magazine, Vol. 

 1.3, page 258.) 



Spircea prunifolia. (Fig. 26.) 



" It is difficult to convey an impression of the beauty of 

 this shrub from the specimen represented in the engraving. 

 Imagine a neat deep green, upright bush, covered with thou- 

 sands of snow white flowers, of the size represented, and as 

 perfect as roses, and some idea may be formed of this new 

 spirfea. Braving with impunity the severity of our hyper- 

 borean latitude [Belgium] it must be considered one of the 

 greatest acquisitions for decorating the lawn or parterre. 



We do not know the native country of this shrub. M. 

 Siebold, to whom we are indebted for its introduotion, we 

 learn found it cultivated in the Japan gardens, where it at- 

 tained the height of six br eight feet. Its native habitat is 

 supposed to be Corea, or the north of China, and it is some- 

 times found growing in a wild state in the environs of cities, 

 but evidently not indigenous. 



According to M. M. Zuccarini and ZieLold, (Fl. Japan,) 

 it forms an upright and bushy shrub, with slender branches, 

 which are covered with a smooth, ash-colored bark, which, 

 when old, detaches itself in thin scales. The leaves are 

 oval, rounded at their base, a little acute at the apex, 

 downy beneath, and denticulated at the edge. The flowers, 

 which appear in clusters of four to six, the entire length of 

 the shoots, are perfectly snow-white, and perfectly double. 

 In shape they resemble the double Ranunculus aconitifolius; 

 and their number and arrangement as well as the light 

 green of the foliage, and neat habit, render it the most 

 charming of hardy shrubs. 



Its cultivation is the same as that of the Spiraea trilobata, 

 and other well known kinds ; and it is increased either by 

 division of the root or by layers." 



