202 THE NURSERY. [March. 



Ground- Hedges. 



The best method of planting a hedge on a level, or without a 

 ditch, is to plough a slip of ground on each side of the intended 

 line of fence the preceding spring, and having previously dunged 

 it, to plant it with potatoes, taking the ordinary care to keep it free 

 from weeds during the period of their growth. In autumn, the 

 potatoes being removed, the entire slip should be ploughed deep, 

 gathering it up towards the centre, and in October or March, having 

 your quicks previously raised in the nursery, as directed in that 

 department in February, to the height of two or three feet, take up 

 the plants carefully without injuring their roots, prune oft' the extre- 

 mities of the roots and any long straggling shoots of their tops, then 

 plant them in a trench made along the centre of this slip of ground 

 for their reception, at the distance of from six to eight inches 

 plant from plant, and settle the earth well into their roots; observ- 

 ing, previously to planting, to match the quicks, that is, to plant 

 all the larger sized together, for it is improper, as before observed, 

 to intermix the small and large, as the former would be smoother- 

 ed by the latter, which would occasion injurious and unsightly 

 breaches in the fence. 



If you have plenty of quicks, it will be of advantage to plant a 

 double row at the distance of a foot from each other, in which case 

 the plants maybe set ten inches apart in the rows, placing those of 

 one row directly opposite the intervals of the other. This method 

 I would prefer to the former. 



The quicks must afterwards be protected from cattle by palings 

 or some kind of dead fences, till they arrive at a proper growth, 

 not to be injured thereby; and for the two first years kept per- 

 fectly free from weeds; for without these precautions it will be in 

 vain to plant them. 



The quicks being tolerably close planted, will need no annual 

 top clipping to thicken them; but it will be very proper to shorten 

 occasionally any extraordinary vigorous top shoots, so as to keep 

 them all pretty equal, and also such as branch out too much at the 

 sides. However, it would be very advisable to give a slight dress- 

 ing to the sides every October or March, for a few years, with a 

 pair of hedge-shears, which may be done in a short time, narrow- 

 ing the hedge a little towards the top to afford the benefit of the 

 air, rain, and dews to the lower side shoots: this will encourage 

 their growth, and cause the hedge to be well furnished from bot- 

 tom to top. 



When a hedge of this kind is to be made, it might be the most 

 convenient way to plant it within a few feet of some established post 

 and rail fence, ami erect another as many feet from it on the oppo- 

 site side, each at such a distance as would be sufficient to keep off 

 cattle; here it would be effectually protected until arrived at a 

 proper height and strength, when both these ranges of palings might 

 be taken away to answer, similar purposes; but again and again 

 would 1 suggest the necessity of keeping the plants free from the 



