92 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



April 



the tcooly aphis, of which our correspondent com- 

 plains, and of the slug, that devours the foliage of all 

 this natural family of plants and some others. We 

 know of many excellent hedges in this country of 

 both the English and American thorn, and we believe 

 that notwithstanding the difficulties we have alluded 

 to, good hedges may be grown of one or the other, or 

 both species, in all the Northern and Middle States. 

 Our native varieties are very vigorous, and make a 

 hedge in a very few years ; but their habit of growth 

 is not so dense as the English, and hence they require 

 a heavier system of shearing or shortening to keep 

 them close and impenetrable. 



'Wmf 



The Buckthorn has come into great favor of late. 

 It is a vigorous and naturally a bushy plant, one of 

 the hardiest of all our native species, and never 

 attacked by disease or insects of anv sort. Durin" 

 all the growing season, and till very late in the fall, 

 its foliage never loses its rich deep verdure. It has 

 but one defect, and that is, a de'ficiency of thorns. 

 With more thorns it would be all we could desire for 

 fencing in the Northern States. It has thorns, but 

 they do not make their appearance till five or si.x 

 years old, and then on the points of the shoots only, 

 if the hedge is kept well furnished with shoots from 

 the bottom, the fence may prove a barrier to cattle 



BUCKTHOBH HKDQE. 



after the sixth or seventh year of its growth. No 

 other plant is so easily raised or converted into a 

 hedge. Plants may be bought at the nurseries at #5 

 per 1000. H. L. Emery, of the Albany Agricul- 

 tural Warehouse, sells the berries at SI 3 per bushel, 

 and clean seed at 75 cts. per quart. Spring is the 

 best time for planting. Mr. Dow\mng recommends 

 the plants to bo cat to within an inch of the ground 

 line : the hedge to be planted in double rows, and 

 the plants placed alternately, thus — 



the rows six inches apart and the plants one foot 

 apart in the rows. This requires 32 plants to a rod, 

 or 2000 plants to 1000 feet. 



We give an engraving of a Buckthorn hedge, on 

 the grounds of James C. Lee, of Salem, Mass. 



The Honey IjOcust is a hardy vigorous tree with 

 formidable thorns over every part of it. If well grown, 

 we know of no other plant that would form such a 

 complete and powerful hedge in a short time. Plants 

 are sold at the nurseries at $5 to $10 per 1000, 

 .according to tlie age. Seeds are usually to be had 

 at most of the seed stores. The seeds have a hard 

 covering that prevents them from vegetating soon if 

 placed in the ground dry. The proper way is to 

 place them in a vessel and pour boiling water on 

 them, and leave them until the covering begins to 

 burst ; then it may be mixed with sand or dry earth 

 to facilitate its sowing. The soil should be light 

 and the covering an inch deep. The plants are fit 

 for hedge rows at one year from the seed, and may 

 be planted as recommended for Buckthorn. We have 



seen excellent hedges of this plant, and vie feel sure 

 that it may be advantageously employed in all parts 

 of the country, and particularly in prairie sections 

 of the west, where it might be allowed to attain more 

 than ordinary hedge height for purposes of shelter. 

 The great point to be observed in this, at in all other 

 live fences, will be to encourage a dense and vigor- 

 ous growth of branches at the bottom. 



The Osage Oranok, we fear, will not prove hardy 

 enough for the Northern States. It is a southern 

 tree, and grows vigorous until late in the fall. The 

 young shoots scarcely ever escape being killed a foot 

 of their length. In New Jersey, Delaware, most of 

 Pennsylvania, a great portion of the Western, and 

 all the Southern and Southwestern States, it will no 

 doubt answer well. Wherever it proves hardy we 

 would give it the preference to all other plants, as it 

 combines in a greater degree tlie requisite qualifica- 

 tions. Its growth is luxuriant and bushy, its foliage 

 bright and shining, and in all parts of both old and 

 young wood covered with stout, sharp thorns, equal 

 to the Honey Locust. It requires, like the Locust, 

 severe and constant pruning to prevent the upright 

 growth from injuring the denseness and symmetry 

 of the hedge. Plants are sold at the nurseries at 

 about $5 per 1000 for one year plants. Seed is 

 advertised by M. B. Batkham of Columbus, Ohio, at 

 Si. 25 per quart. We have always succeeded well 

 by soaking the seed, for a day, in hot water before 

 sowing. Mr. Batkham says "a patch of ground 

 two or three rods square will be large enough for a 

 quart of seed, and will produce 3000 to 4000 plants 

 if successful." Planting is done in the same man- 

 as recommended for the otliers. 



