90 



THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



COXDUCTED BY JOSEPH FROST. 



THE OSAGE ORANGE HEDGE PLANT. 



A FKW d'.iys ago we received from Messrs. Bryam, 

 Pitkin & Co., seedsmen, &c., u\ Louisville, Ky., an 

 excellent treatise upon the cultiviition of this plant. 

 It commences with the manner of sowin<r the seed, 

 and carefully considers the treatment of the plant in 

 its various stages, till sufficiently strong to defy the 

 uttacks of hoth uum and bea^st. 



Many have doubted that it would prove hardy 

 enough to widistand the severities of our winters, 

 though a<Imirably adapted to our South-western 

 States; and we must say that om- opinion was much 

 the same, believing that it never could he acclimated 

 to such a degree as to use it for fences here. Obser- 

 vation and experience since have increased our confi- 

 dence in the Osage Orange, and we think it better 

 adapted for the purpose than any plant known. The 

 conviction is daily gaining ground that as fast as 

 farmers and others become acquainted with the ad- 

 vantages and management of the Osage Orange hedge, 

 and timber becomes scarce, this mode of fencing \vill 

 be generally adopted in this country. 



Plants now two years old upon our grounds, grow- 

 ing in a very cold and l)Ieak situation, have not been 

 injured in the least, though the tips of the late-formed 

 shoots have been cut a little by the frost. But the 

 M-iuters will not even do this when the plants are a 

 year older, as the wood it then forms will be less 

 luxuriai\t, therefore better ripened. In the autumn 

 of 1852, while visiting the residence of the lamented 

 A. J. DowxixG, at Newburgh, N. Y, we were pre- 

 sented with some burrs of the Osage Orange — the first 

 that we had seen — from a magnificent plant of it 

 growing in his grounds, then twelve to fifteen feet 

 high. The seeds of it, we were informed, had never 

 arrived at perfection, though it had fruited for three 

 or four years. Within the hmits of our city some 

 are planting long lines of it, while others have fences 

 now nearly strong enough to resist cattle. 



Believing that it will be of interest to our readers, 

 we make some extracts from B., P. & Co.'s circular, 

 which seem to be the most important: 



" Hedge Row. — Unless the soil is very mellow and 

 rich, a trench not less than two feet wide, and as deep, 

 should be dug on the line where the hedge is to stand, 

 and filled up with equal parts of well rotted manure 

 or compost, and rich earth. 



•' In uncultivated prairie or grass land, a strip from 

 six to eight feet wide should be turned over along 

 the line of the proposed hedge during the summer or 

 fall previous, and harrowed or back-furrowed just 

 before the time of setting in spring. 



" Hedge Line. — A convenient one is made by 

 winding a strong cord, fifty or sixty yards long, 

 around a board eiiiht inches wide; then, with a small 

 brush, painting down the edges of the board across 

 the cord, which will mark it at proper intervals for 

 Betting plants in a single row. 



" Planting the Hedge. — Thia may be done any 



time after the warm weather commences in the spring, 

 though it is well to wait until the buds arc much 

 swollen; and even if the leaves begin to put out, no 

 nuiller, as there will be less danger of setting lifeless 

 ones. Choose a nujist time, otherwise wet the plants 

 before setting. Select those of a uniform size as the 

 best to be planted together, and shorten the roots to 

 wiihin eight or nine inclicy, and the top to within two 

 inches of the root. Stretch the line where the row 

 is to stand, and set out the plants by the marks, or 

 not more than ten inches apart, in a single line, thus: 

 * * * or diagonally, thus: * ^ * ^ * 

 making them a foot apart in each row. 



" If for a prairie or field hedge, set your stakes and 

 run a deep, even furrow the whole length, having a 

 due regard to straightness, as the beauty of the hedge 

 depends nmch oa this. Stretch the line along the 

 edge of the furrow, and fasten the ends to stakes 

 drivcii firmly into the ground. Take now your bas- 

 kets of plants in one haiul, and with the other place 

 them upright in the farrow, against the sides, at places 

 indicated by spots on the line. Fill in immediately 

 with a hoe, pressing the earth with the foot firmly 

 around the roots. To prevent moles from burrowing 

 under the hedge, set the plants three or four inches 

 lower than the sides, so as to leave the grouml a little 

 ' dishing ' toward the row ; this is found effectual 

 The ground should be well cultivated during the 

 season, or, what is much better, cover the surface 

 three or four inches deep, and two feet wide, on each 

 side of the row, with cut straw or leaves. If the.se 

 are not to be had, tan bark or sawdust will answer. 

 We would, from past experience, earnestly recommend 

 this nutlching, as it retains moisture for the plant 

 which otherwise would be evaporated, and acts sub- 

 sequently as a manure. It also saves nearly all the 

 labor of cultivation. 



" Should any of the plants fail to grow, their places 

 should be immediately supplied by taking up from 

 the end of the row, or from a nursery reserved for 

 the purpose. 



" It is recommended never to set the plants further 

 apart than stated above, as at greater intervals the 

 stalks must grow larger and the roots extend propor- 

 tionally ; beside, it requires much more labor in 

 pruning, for which the saving in plants is by no means 

 adequate. As regards the single or double row. Prof. 

 TuRXKR and others claim that a single line is all that 

 is necessary or desirable. Mr. Neff and friends are 

 still incUned to the latter method. Either undoubtedly 

 answers the purpose well. 



" In consequence of the first pruning at the time 

 of setting, each plant has thrown out three or four 

 shoots. The second cutting will cause these to mul- 

 tiply to six or eight, which will nearly fill the space 

 between the plants. 



"A second trimming should be given when the 

 plants are making a vigorous growth, from the mid- 

 dle to the last of June, cutting off the tops smooth 

 and even to within four inches of the ground. 



" The next spring cut to within five inches of the 

 preceding cutting, and in June likewise. 



"Continue these spring and June prunings, in- 

 creasing the distance an inch every year, until the 

 hedge shall reach the height desired. The side and 

 lateral branches may be pruned and thickened so aa 



