MARCH. 127 



Yew stands cutting Avell. Holly hedges, like the Yew, are 

 only beginning to be taken notice of, but I think, before a 

 great while, we will be able to get something very respecta- 

 ble in this way. The plants have also been very scarce, 

 which has prevented experiments being made ; but as soon 

 as our nurserymen can raise up a stock of good plants I see 

 nothing to prevent ns from having beautiful hedges. The 

 native Holly, on account of its hardiness, will be generally 

 })lanted, and, although not of as deep a green as the English, 

 will, nevertheless, make a fine hedge. The English will 

 stand the winter better when grown in a hedge, but wheie 

 the cold reaches below zero it will not answer. Having no- 

 ticed nearly all of the plants that are in general use for 

 hedges, I will conclude by offering a few brief remarks on 

 planting, cutting, &c. 



Planting and Management. — The preparing of the ground 

 to receive the plants is the first operation. This can be done 

 either by the plough or spade. For farm hedges, where there 

 is plenty of ground, the plough will answer very well to break 

 it up. A strip six feet wide, well ploughed and subsoiled 

 where the bottom is hard, and working manure in the soil at 

 the same time where it is poor ; but if to be kept clean by 

 the hoe four feet will answer. After the ground is well 

 broken up and levelled, stretch in the middle of the ground 

 a line lengthwise, and tread down the soil on the top of the 

 line to make it firm, smoothing lightly with the spade to take 

 out the marks made by the feet, and then clap it smooth with 

 the back of the spade over the line : mark the ground then 

 with the spade an inch deep, keeping it straight by the line, 

 and breaking down as little of the back as possible. Then dig 

 a good spit deep, turning the earth out on the side marked, 

 keeping the back without breaking down, which greatly fa- 

 cilitates the planting ; it will also be much easier to hoe and 

 keep clean if the plants are kept straight in the row when 

 planting. Also, a very essential thing to be done before 

 planting, is to size out the plants, selecting them as near as 

 possible of a uniform size. This may be thought to be un- 

 necessary trouble, but unless this is done the strong plants 



