480 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. Pakt II. 



entirely covered throughout the whole of their length with earth. Where this is pro- 

 perly executed, the plants so laid down send up a great number of young shoots, which 

 very soon fill up the vacancy : where it is practised upon a hedge that is cut over close 

 by the surface, no other care is requisite ; but when it is done with hedges that are cut 

 at three or four feet above it, there will be a necessity for placing a temporary paling in 

 the gap, to protect the young shoots from injury till they acquire a sufficient degree of 

 strength. In cases of emergency the stronger roots of thorns and crabs will, if their 

 extremities are brought up to the surface and then cut over an inch above it, throw up 

 vigorous shoots and fill up gaps. 



2994. To mend the defects of an old hedge with success, two things are absolutely 

 necessary : the first is, that the whole of the roots of the old plants, which extend them- 

 selves into the opening, be entirely cut off; the next, that the hedge shall be cut down 

 close to the earth, for at least a yard or more on each side of it. By cutting away the 

 roots Vvhich extend themselves into the opening, the young plants are prevented from 

 being robbed of their nourishment; and cutting down the old ones, for a little distance 

 onteach side, keeps them from being shaded, and allows them to enjoy the full benefit of 

 the light and air : cutting down so much of the old hedge, no doubt, ^renders the opening 

 larger, and of course requires more paling" to supply the defect ; but this extra expense 

 will be more than compensated by the success with which it will be attended. In many 

 instances, these vacancies are filled up with dead wood ; indeed it is a common practice, 

 after a hedge is dressed, to cram the greatest part of the prunings into these spaces, and 

 under the bottom of the hedge, where it is any way open or aiaked. The most perverse 

 imagination could hardly suppose any thing more absurd ; for, if it is the wish of the 

 owner that the plants on each side should send out new branches to fill up the openings, 

 the purpose is completely defeated by cramming them full of dead brush-wood, which not 

 only excludes light and air, and prevents the extension of the branches, but, from the 

 violence and injury that is committed in thrusting in dead thorns, the plants are often 

 materially hurt ; and when this brush- wood decays, the opening, in place of being 

 diminished, is considerably enlarged : the mischief is the same where they are thrust 

 imder the hedge, a practice which, when continued, never fails to render it naked at 

 bottom. The use of stones for mending hedges is equally absurd and pernicious. 



2995. In every operation of this kind, where old hedges are either cut over or bent 

 down, the ground on each side, as soon as circumstances will admit of it, should be 

 completely dug, cleared of weeds, and the earth laid up to the roots of the plants. It 

 is surprising what numerous and luxuriant shoots the stumps send out, when managed 

 in this way : while, on the contrary, when these necessary operations are neglected, fewer 

 shoots proceed from the old trunks ; and, of these few, a considerable proportion are 

 choked and destroyed by the weeds and other rubbish in the bottom of the hedge. 



SuBSECT. 3. Compound Hedge Fences. 



2996. The single hedge and ditch, with or without paling, differs a little in different situ- 

 ations : the ditch varies in depth and width ; the thorns are for the most part placed upon 

 the common surface, upon what is termed a scarcement, or projection of six or seven 

 inches* on which they lean, and which serves as a kind of bed when they are cleaned, 

 ana prevents the earth from the part of the bank above from sliding down into the ditch. 

 Some object to this scarcement, alleging that it increases the difficulty of cleaning the 

 hedge, and increases the growth of weeds ; both of which statements are correct : but to 

 couhterbaiance them, it is alleged, and with truth as far as we have been able to observe, 

 that the scarcement mode retains the soil better about the roots of the plants. It is a 

 practice in some parts of Norfolk, in planting hedges in this way, to coat the face of the 

 bank and the projection with loamy earth from the bottom of the ditch made into puddle. 

 This acts for a year or two like a coat of plaster, and prevents the seeds of weeds, which 

 may be in the soil under it, from germinating. It also retains moisture ; but the 

 difficulty is to meet vvdth a clay or loam that, when puddled and thus applied, will not 

 crftck with the summer's drought and winter's frost. Some have applied common lime 

 plaster for the same purpose; others road stuff; and some plant in the face of a wall of 

 stones, or bricks, or between tiles. 



2997. Stephens's mode of forming and planting the single hedge and ditch differs some- 

 what from the general practice: it is given at length in the Quarterly Journal of 

 Agriculture ; and as it is most valuable from the minutiae of its details, and their suitable- 

 ness to all countries where thorn hedges are grown, we shall here transcribe all its 

 impoi-tant features. 



2B98. Implements. " Let three poles, made of dry fir to prevent their warping, be provided, of about 

 an inch and a half in diameter, and from eight to ten feet in length. Let one end of them be shod with 

 iron ; and let them be painted at top with white and scarlet colours, as these colours are best dis- 

 criminated by their brightness and contrast in a dull day. Three poles will serve to run any line straight 

 upon a level piece of ground ; but as irregularities in the ground will often occur, it will be necessary, in 

 order to surmount them, to have two or three poles more. A strong nail of iron at one end of a stout 



