PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 351 



larger, as where the plants are of good size the hedge is more 

 readily formed, and the plants less liable to be injured by the 

 severity of the first winter or heat of the first summer, and re- 

 quire far less nursing. In using plants of large size, great care 

 should be taken to have all the roots preserved. But whatever 

 the size of plants employed may be, it is necessary to have all 

 such as are to be planted in the same fence as nearly of the same 

 size and vigor of growth as possible. By proper attention in 

 this respect the fence will be free from gaps and thin places, 

 which would otherwise be the case from the inequality of the 

 growth of diiferent sized plants. 



When the quicks are planted, whatever the age or size may be, 

 do not cut any roots except those that may have been broken or 

 bruised, as it is always of importance that as many fibres as pos- 

 sible be left. A portion of the tops may be cut away, because 

 no matter how much care is exercised in taking up, the roots will 

 always sustain some injury, and will not be able to supply nour- 

 ishment in sufiicient quantity to prevent a portion of the top 

 from perishing. Older plants require more cutting than young 

 ones. 



There are various modes of planting live hedges. In some 

 cases the plants are placed in a horizontal direction upon sods 

 turned grass side downw^ards, on the sides of ditches or walls, 

 and covered up so as to have but a few inches of the plants with- 

 out, in order that not more than two shoots may he thrown out 

 by each. AVhen planted in this manner a good bed of mould 

 should be made for the reception of the roots, and they will 

 thrive admirably. If they should happen to throw out more than 

 two shoots the supernumeraries should be trimmed off close to 

 the stem the first fall after planting, for it is the largeness of 

 these original stamina of the hedge that will afterwards consti- 

 tute its strength, and not the number of small branches as is 

 generally supposed. If the shoots are numerous, they never 

 acquire such a degree of strength as when there are fewer of 

 them. 



Quicks should be straight in their growth, with clean strong 

 stems, that have been twice transplanted from the seed bed, they 

 then have a great number of fibrous roots, which, as has been 

 shown, renders them more certain of succeeding on being planted 

 out. They should be well hoed and weeded as often as neces- 

 sary, and every sort of rubbish be carefully removed from about 



