A CHAPTER ON HEDGES. 369 



taken up from the nursery for transplanting, will thus give nearly a 

 thousand new plants. 



PLANTING AND REARING THE HEDGE. 



Having secured the plants, the next step necessary is to prepare 

 the ground where the future hedge is to be formed. 



For this purpose a strip must be marked out, three or four feet 

 in width, along the whole line where the hedge is to grow. This 

 must be thoroughly trenched with a spade, eighteen inches deep, if 

 it is to be a garden hedge ; or sub-soil ploughed to that depth, if it 

 is to be a farm hedge. We know many persons content themselves 

 with simply digging the ground in the common way,* one spade 

 deep ; but we take it for granted no readers of ours will hesitate 

 about the little additional trouble of properly trenching or deepen- 

 ing the soil,* when they may be assured that they will gain just 

 one-half in the future growth and luxuriance of the hedge. 



It is the custom in England to plant hedges on a bank with a 

 ditch at one side, to carry off the water and some persons have, 

 from mere imitation, attempted the same thing here. It is worse than 

 useless in our hot and dry climate. The hedge thrives better when 

 planted on the level strip, simply because it is more naturally placed 

 and has more moisture. If the bank and ditch is used, they are con- 

 tinually liable to be torn away by the violence of our winter frosts. 



As regards the season, the spring is the best time for the north- 

 ern States the autumn for the southern. Autumn planting at the 

 north often succeeds perfectly well, but the plants must be examined 

 in the spring ; such as are thrown out of place by the frosts require 

 to be fixed again, and this often involves a good deal of trouble in 

 strong soil. Early spring planting, therefore, for this latitude, is 

 much preferable on the whole. 



A good dressing of any convenient manure that is not so coarse 

 as to be unmanageable in planting, should be put upon the soil and 



* Those who may be fortunate enough to possess rich deep bottom 01 

 alluvial lands, are the only persons who need not be at the trouble of trench 

 ing their soil. 



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