54 



Soil, Manures, Situation, and Enclosures. 



thinks it will "ruin" his young and promising fence. Yet if the 

 work is omitted, it will in a few years appear as in Fig. 61. 



The following is the regular order of working each successive 

 year. Fig. 62 represents the plant the first year, or a few weeks 

 after setting out ; it has been cut down nearly to the surface of the 

 earth, the tap-root trimmed off, and the young shoots as starting 

 from it at a. It should grow -untouched at least one year some 

 prefer two years, in order that the roots may become thoroughly 

 established. Its appearance the beginning of the second year is 

 shown in Fig. 63, when it is cut down again near the line, b, to 



Fig. 64. Beginning of third year . 



Fig. 65. Summer of third year. 



thicken it at the bottom. The result of this cutting down is shown 

 in Fig. 64, which is the same plant after further growth, and which is 

 again to be cut down at the line c; this may be done in the spring 

 of the third year, if the hedge has been well managed and kept vigo- 

 rous. This shearing will not 

 be more than four or five 

 inches high. Nervous people 

 "cannot bear" thus to cut 

 down their beautiful growing 

 hedges and of course never 

 have a good one. But if the 

 work has been unflinchingly 

 done, the hedge will present 

 by early summer of the third 

 year, the fine broad-based, 



thickened appearance at the bottom, represented by Fig. 65. The 

 next pruning, to be done at the beginning of the fourth year, is 

 shown in Fig. 66, as indicated by lines meeting at e, when the hedge 

 for the first time begins to assume the form of a roof. The previous 

 shearings (or rather mowings) are shown by the dotted lines c and d 

 Fig. 67 shows the subsequent cuttings first by the lines meeting at 



Fig. 66. Beginning of fourth year. 



