THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 239 



sheep, short animals occasionally grow long as their 

 youth progresses. 



I have just had a young quickset hedge well cleaned 

 about the roots of encroaching grasses, bindweed, and 

 other intruders. Some hints I took from a Magazine 

 at the time of planting, answer well. A trench one 

 foot deep was cut, and six inches of good straw manure 

 trodden in. Upon this, six inches of mould were 

 thrown, in which the thorn was planted. It has cer- 

 tainly reached this precious store, for it grows with 

 astonishing vigour, and looks eminently healthy. A 

 neighbour tried the same plan, and has excellent 

 promise. Another neighbour has a quickset hedge all 

 choked with grass and weeds. It looks exceedingly 

 feeble with this "old man of the sea" stuff clinging 

 around its neck ; but he will not clean it, because he 

 says that there are certain tiny fibres which start from 

 the roots to the surface in search of food, which he 

 would so exterminate to the damage of the plant itself. 

 Half-choked as it is, one cannot wonder at the straggling 

 foragers being sent up from below in search of air and 

 aliment, which, it is my idea, it need not and would 

 not do if kept rid of its destructive incubus. I know 

 that upon a farm which I hired I had a quickset hedge, 

 one part of which had been planted much later than the 

 rest, and was not one-third its height, being choked at 

 the base with weeds. I had it cleared, and in a year 

 the difference of height between the two parts of the 

 fence was not apparent, and yet my neighbour who 

 will not clean his fence is an experienced and able 

 horticulturist. 



The thoroughbred mare has, like all ticket-of-leave 

 animals, begun to forget her promises, and to plunge 



