HEDGES 



or furrow through the center, wide enough to 

 admit the roots without bending. Growth is 

 facilitated by having a quantity of good top- 

 soil carefully firmed about the roots of the 

 plants, and well-rotted stable manure worked 

 in with the soil in the trench. 



Evergreens should be pruned in spring, just 

 before they commence growing. In clipping 

 hedges of Hemlock, Spruce, and Arborvitae into 

 formal shape they should be cut with sides slo- 

 ping to an apex, so as to be wider at the bottom 

 than at the top. Thus the lower branches get 

 more light and air than they would if the sides 

 were perpendicular, and they would not be so 

 likely to lose their leaves and die. 



Pruning of deciduous hedges is most easily 

 done in July, when the shoots are young and 

 tender. A flat-topped hedge, although very 

 good form, is liable to injury from a weight of 

 snow ; consequently, a Gothic arch or triangular 

 outline is more desirable. 



A hedge always lends dignity and privacy 

 to a garden. It may serve many purposes — as 

 an attractive approach to a building; as a pro- 

 tection to the lawn; as a screen for unsightly 

 objects; and as a good background for foliage 

 masses, bright flowers, brilliant fruits and 

 stems of shrub borders. 



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