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372 



THE ILLIISrOIS FA^KMER. 



by sticking by tlie side of it several 

 small stakes -with hitches cut into them 

 in -which the line is passed. This meth- 

 od of planting requires a man to handle 

 the spade and a boy to set in the plants 

 and the two, if expert, may set half a 

 mile in a day. 



If the -weather be dry the plants should 

 be grouted a second time, or they may 

 be carried in a basket and covered -with 

 moist sawdust to keep them from the air. 

 When all is ready the spade is thrust 

 down by the side of the line, at an angle 

 of about forty-five degrees, and at least 

 twelve inches deep, it is slightly pushed 

 for-ward by -which motion an opening is 

 formed underneath, in -which the plant 

 is to be run down nearly its whole length, 

 and held there till the spade is mih- 

 drawn. The spade is again put down, 

 forward, at the proper distance and the 

 operation repeated to the end. Work- 

 ing in this way the operator will tread 

 and impact the loose soil above each 

 plant, which is essentially necessary. In 

 regard to distance apart we cannot too 

 strongly recommend close planting. — 

 Our firm conviction is that more failures 

 have resulted from too wide planting 

 than from any other mistake in hedge 

 culture. In no case would we advise any 

 one to set wider than four inches apart. 

 We have yet to see the first hedge with 

 too much "stock'' in it, or the plants 

 set too close. No danger of over crowd- 

 ing them, besides if they are set close 

 there will be no n^ed of replanting when 

 only one in a place fails. The plants 

 should be critically examined before 

 setting, and not a single one of doubtful 

 vigor, or soundness should be put in the 

 hedge row; yet, as there may be occa- 

 sion for replanting, it should be attended 

 to the first season. For this purpose 

 some of the largest and best plants 

 should be kept back in the trench with 

 which to replace carefully any that may 

 fail to start, say by the middle of June. 

 In this case it will be necessary to cut 

 or pinch oflF most of the ne>r growth and 

 reset when the weather is damp and the 

 ground is moist. Should a dry season 

 ensue, and these replants fail to grow, 

 their places must be filled the next spring 

 with strong vigorous plants, as it will 

 be useless to replant after that time. If 

 you succeed in starting a full and vigor- 

 ous row, there is little fear that you 

 will fail in your endeavor to make a live 

 fence. 



CCLTITATION OF IHK HEDGE H'' V. 



The management of the cultivation is 

 extremely simple and needs little expla- 

 nation. It requires only the same at- 

 tention as a nursery row, and but little 

 more than a well worked row of corn or 

 potatoes. Our method is to use the cul- 

 tivator or the No. 5 plow, as soon as 

 the grass and weeds appear, first throw- 

 ing the dirt lightly to the row, and next 



time from it, for a few times the first 

 half of the season, and using the hoe to 

 clean out between the plants when nec- 

 essary. If the plowing is nicely done, 

 but little hoeing will be required. The 

 second and third year the ground should 

 be stirred early, but at no time later in 

 the growing season than midsummer; 

 but late in autumn of the first and sec- 

 ond year the row should be ridged or 

 earthed up as high as practicable, to pro- 

 tect the roots from the severity of the 

 winter, and in low or damp ground the 

 plants must be mulched before hilling 

 up. At the final plowing the third sum- 

 mer, some three or four furrows should 

 be thrown from each side to the hedge 

 row, forming a slight ridge about it, then 

 rnn the harrow over it till it is a smooth 

 and regular grade, never to be after- 

 wards disturbed by the plow. 



The clipping and shaping of the 

 hedge will next claim our attention. 



Since the publication of the first edi- 

 tion of our little booklet we have been 

 induced to change our opinion in regard 

 to the time and frequency of the clip- 

 ping operation. The first object of 

 clipping is to thicken the base, and the 

 natural inference was that this must be 

 begun at the early age of one year, and 

 kept up without intermission till the ob- 

 ject was attained. Subsequent experi- 

 ence has convinced us that we have clip- 

 ped too early and too much; that though 

 the plant will bear any amount of cut- 

 ting and still live, yet the severe torture, 

 (applied before it has acquired strong 

 roots,) weakens and retards the growth, 

 and sets it back too much. Though by 

 early cutting the base will be thickened 

 with small side branches, yet it is found 

 that they are not of a permanent char- 

 acter. It is found to be the true theory 

 to thicken the row at first by close plant- 

 ing, and to cultivate well for two sea- 

 sons before cutting at all, to get as 

 strong roots as possible without refer- 

 ence to the shape of the top. Then at 

 the proper time the second spring after 

 planting, just before the buds put forth, 

 clear away the ridge of dirt down level 

 with the ground, and with a strong shrub 

 scythe cut all off smooth to the surface. 

 Be sure to cut below all the buds on the 

 stem, and if into the yellow root, no 

 matter. The effect will be to send up 



numerous forced shoots all around the 

 stump, which being of equal size and 

 vigor will be equally durable. These 

 numerous shoots, spreading in all direc- 



tions, will completely fill the row with 

 substantial material; whereas, if in the 

 first cutting one or more buds are left, 

 these buds put forth shoots stronger 

 than those of the forced growth, and 

 the latter will finally dwindle and per- 

 isb, and the bottom instead of thickening 

 will grow thinner, and the object sought 

 in cutting will fail. It is quite as nec- 

 essary to lay the right kind of a founda- 

 tion for a hedge as for a house; without 

 this, the one will be as likely to succeed 

 as the other. 



If the growth is vigorous and rapid 

 the hedge should be cut the second time, 

 about the last of June, (not later,) from 

 four to six inches above the ground. 



In the following spring it may be cut 

 higher or lower according to its thick- 

 ness, say from eighteen inches to two 

 feet high. In the latter part of June of 

 the same year it may be clipped in its 

 final form, which should be pyramidal, 

 shortenins the side branches somewhat, 

 but leaving a wide base and tapering to 

 the top. If well grown, at the end of 

 the fourth season the hedge will be thick 

 and strong enough to turn out, when, m 

 its security and effectiveness, it will 

 yield the farmer a revenue of delight, 

 and amply repay him for all his labor 

 and pains in its construction. It may 

 be well here to give a few of the reasons 

 why the pyramidal form of the hedge is 

 preferred. 



First. — The general direction of veg- 

 etation is well known to be upward. 



Second. — One of the principal requi- 

 sites of a hedge is a thick base, a condi- 

 tion which depends entirely upon the 

 number, strength and vitality of the side 

 branches near the ground. 



Third. — It is plain that if the hedge 

 is allowed to follow its natural tendency 

 and force numerous strong and gross 

 shoots at the top, the result will be a 

 shaded, starved and sickly growth at the 

 bottom, consequently the lower branches 

 will perish and fall off, and the hedge 

 will grow thin. But, if on the other 

 hand we cut the top more and the bot- 

 tom less we shall be more likely to pro- 



