280 AMERICAN HUSBANDRY. 



stump, but from the plash also : the latter is not the 

 case in the Delaware thorn; they seldom afford 

 shoots out of the plash ; except where the top end 

 is cut off, the suckers will rise. 



To attain a regular distribution of shoots from the 

 plashing, we must be mindful to give every stalk laid 

 a proper degree of slope or inclined plane, as before 

 observed : by that means they are likely to rise on 

 the body of the plash. If too much elevated, the sap 

 flows to the head, and produces a cluster at that 

 point ; and if laid too much in a horizontal position, 

 the sap is not encouraged to follow that direction, 

 and will produce suckers from the stump only, leav- 

 ing the plash without sufficient nourishment to be- 

 come useful, and which must consequently decline. 



It will be readily understood, that the more gener- 

 ally we can direct the flow of sap through the whole 

 body of the hedge, strength and uniformity is there- 

 by promoted, it becoming healthy in all its parts. 

 After that object is attained, all that is necessary is 

 the keeping it within proper limits by trimming. 



The figure represented on page 278 is a view of a 

 section of newly-plashed hedge divested of foliage, 

 after having formed the first shoots from the old 

 stalks, making the first effort to fill the vacancies, 

 and seven years old before it was cut. This figure 



represents a section of one that has been laid seven 

 years and annually trimmed, being in full foliage at 



