HORTICULTURE 



161 



HORTICULTURE. 



Number of trees per acre. 



... 10,890 



4,840 



2,722 



1,742 



1,210 



680 



435 



302 



200 



135 



110 



70 



50 



35 



27 



Hedge Plants. 



Hedges are used for guarding against trespass, providing 

 lateral shade and for ornament. Almost any plant can be 

 used for one or other of these purposes, but attention here 

 is chiefly directed to such hedges as are agriculturally useful. 

 For gardens there are a very great number of hedge plants in 

 India and all stages can be obtained between creepers on 

 trellises on the one hand and rows of all shrubs and borders 

 for ornamental beds. 



1. Pithecolobium dulce — 



Korukapili — Tamil. 

 Simachintha — Telugu. 



This is a leguminous plant well suited for hedges as it 

 stands any amount of cutting back. Seeds must be sown in 

 2 or 3 rows. When the plants are about 2 feet high, they 

 must be topped to make them branch, and during each year 

 they must be cut back at least twice. Gaps in old hedges 

 may be filled up by half cutting through tall branches and 

 laying them down across the gaps. 



2. Omnitia Dill&rii — The prickly-pear. 



Sappaththi Mullu— Tamil. 

 Nagadali— Telugu. 



An excellent hedge, impenetrable and easily made, with one 

 disadvantage that it takes up rather a lot of room. It leaves 

 the land on which it grows enriched, however, and crops can 



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