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THE ILLINOIS FA-HMER. 



373 



mote an equilibrium of vigor in all the 

 parts. The theory then is to trim with 

 a wide base and bring the top of the 

 hedge to a point. The dimension of 

 the finished hedge should be four feet 

 wide at the base and five feet high. 



ANNUAL PRUNING, AFTER TREATMBNT, *C. 



After the hedge is completed, the 

 only requirement to restore its beauty, 

 increase its thickness, and enhance its 

 durability, is an annual shearing of 

 its superfluous growth. If this is 

 done by hand perhaps it would bo easier 

 and better done twice a year, until its 

 vigorous growth can be checked by ar- 

 tificial means — say late in the fall, or 

 early in the spring, and in June. A 

 convenient implement for the purpose 

 is the "slasher,'' the blade of w^hich is 

 made of well tempered steel, about two 

 feet long; the outer end is curved, some- 

 what like a sickle, the lower end ter- 

 minates in a socket, into which a light 

 pole is fitted, for a handle. The blade 

 may be an inch and a half wide, and 

 three-eighths of an inch thick on the 

 back. \Vith the "slasher" kept per- 

 fectly sharp, it is comparatively an 

 easy job to trim a hedge, as it is done 

 with an oblique, upward stroke, one side 

 at a time. For the benefit of those who 

 have a large amount of heages to shear, 

 we take pleasure in informing them 

 that a complete horse power machine 

 for the purpose has been invented and 

 patented by Mr. Samuel Bradbury, of 

 Griggsville, Pike county, Illinois. On 

 exhibition at the fairs, last fall, its ca- 

 pability for doing the business with 

 certainty and dispatch was satisfactorily 

 demonstrated. As the hedges grow 

 older they will grow slower, and, con- 

 sequently, require less clipping. Af- 

 ter they Lave become sufficiently scrong 

 the exuberant growth may be safely 

 checked by running a sharp cutter, or 

 coulter, a foot deep, on each side, as 

 close as a horse can walk. By thus 

 cutting or pruning the side roots, the 

 hedge may be dwarfed, without injury, 

 and the task of shearing much light- 

 ened. This may be done in August, 

 and only once in about three or four 

 years. A complete hedge should present 

 the appearance of a green wall when 

 in leaf, frbm the ground to the peak. 



As its principal use is to turn all domestic 

 animals, it should be strong enough for that 

 purpose, independent of its armature of 

 thorns, and it should be so dense and thick 

 as to render it diflaicult to see through it when 

 the leaves are on. It also subserves an im- 

 portant purpose in breaking the force of the 

 bleak, prairie winds in winter, and some ex- 

 tensive stock raisers are growing hedges 

 without cropping at all, for the double pur- 

 pose of a fence and a wind-break. In bedg- 

 ing a stock-farm we would recommend that 

 the plants be set so close as to need no crop- 

 ping. A good hedge is also a complete bar- 

 rier against the blowing of seeds and grasses 



from one field or farm to another, at all sea- 

 sons. Though we claim no merit for the 

 Madura on the score of ornamental hedg- 

 ing, on account of the coarseness of its 

 growth, yet a man of taste will make a 

 beautiful thing of it, and thereby improve 

 his own taste, and promote the love of order, 

 neatness and method in all his operations, 

 and as a consequence it will strengthen his 

 love of home; hence the importance of keep- 

 ing it in proper order. 



TREATMENT OF OLD, IMPERFECT HEDGE 



;•■■ -ROWS. ,. 

 Many of these ragged and neglected 

 specimens which, in their present condition, 

 promise nothing but a nuisance, may yet be 

 reclaimed (if not too badly missing) by 

 judicious management. Lose no time, but 

 cut them down in early spring even with the 

 surface, except a sufficient number at one end 

 to fill the vacancies in the balance of the 

 row; cut these at the height of two feet, 

 clear the row of grass, sods, &c., and set in 

 the replants with great care and with good 

 roots; cultivate thoroughly, clip as before 

 directed, except the replants, which must 

 not be disturbed under two years after setting. 

 Strong hedges that have been set too wide 

 may be successfully thickened by "plashing.'' 

 This IB done by cutting the plants two-thirds 

 off, near the ground, bending down at an 

 angle of about 45 ° , and interweaving them 

 around stakes set in the row for that pur- 

 pose, at about three feet apart. The side 

 branches should be trimmed off before plash- 

 ing. 



SUGGESTIONS AND PRECAUTIONS. 



We would suggest that after the hedge is 

 completed the border on each side should be 

 thickly seeded down to white clover, a com- 

 plete sward of which will prevent its wash 

 ing, keep out the weeds, and somewhat 

 check the vigor A'ithout growing up to inter- 

 fere with the body of the hedge, while, at 

 the same time, it will give it a beautiful 

 lawn-like appearance. 



A hedge should never be planted under 

 the shade of trees or too near a fence, as in 

 such situations it will never do any good. 

 It is also useless to set hedges on low, wet or 

 spouty soils, without first throwing up a 

 ridge some eight or ten feet wide, and high 

 enough to keep the roots out of the water, 

 otherwise the plants will be invariably 

 heaved out by the frost the first and second 

 winter. In such situations it is also very 

 necessary to mulch the young hedge row 

 with rotted straw, hay or litter before winter 

 sets in. Indeed, we cannot too strongly re- 

 commend mulching for all young hedge 

 rows. No stock must be allowed to have 

 access to the hedge row, especially in the 

 growing season, till it is two or three years 

 old, after which, but little damage need be 

 apprehended from their depredations. Go- 

 phers, where they abound are sometimes 

 quite troublesome; with their sharp teeth 

 they will cut off the roots of the hedge 

 plants, as well as orchard trees and shrub- 

 bery at almost any age. As the gopher is 

 the only thing that preys upon the hedge to 

 any extent, he should, by all means, be ex- 

 terminated, and every farmer may do this 

 without much trouble, if he will set himself 

 about it rightly. lie is easily taken by set- 



ting a small steel trap in his underground 

 track, a little below the bottom of it and 

 alightly covering it; or he may be readily 

 poisoned by inserting a little strychnine into 

 a small potato and dropping it into his track, 

 near the last hill he has cast up. He will 

 be very apt to find it, and as sure to eat it, 

 and verlM^"castup his final account." 



- "iSENERAL REMARKS. 



It is now sixteen years since we com- 

 menced the enterprise of live fencing on the 

 prairies, during which time we have labored 

 constantly and assiduously in the cause. As 

 we anticipated, the obstacles, the difficulties 

 and the discouragements to be met and 

 overcome have been neither few nor slight. 

 Indeed, such have been their nature and 

 extent that but for our firm conviction of 

 its final and triumphant success we should 

 have abandoned the enterprise in despair. 



To particularize a few of the leading draw- 

 backs to its uniform success, we may men- 

 tion — 



1st — ^the general lack of experience and 

 judgment in the outset. 2d — the disheart- 

 ening effect of a series of untoward seasons, 

 and 3d — the prevailing disposition of west- 

 ern farmers to neglect such important inter- 

 ests as their hedges, orchards and gardens. 

 Interests that demand, imperatively, a cer- 

 tain amount of care and attention, upon 

 which condition they promise the most 

 ample reward, but without it nothing save 

 disappointment. ' 



This last, alone, has proven a more fruit- 

 ful source of failure than all other causes put 

 together. But in the first stages of the en- 

 terprise such results were to be expected, 

 and probably a greater proportion have suc- 

 ceeded than we could have reasonably hoped 

 for. Enough good hedges are already made 

 to confirm us in the faith that this mode of 

 fencing is destined to prevail in all our vast 

 prairie regions; that by its agency, bound- 

 less wastes will ere long be brought into suc- 

 cessful cultivation, and finally that it will 

 add untold millions to the wealth of the 

 great northwest. 



Impressed with these convictions we know 

 of nothing we would rather do than to shed 

 light on this important subject, to give it a 

 proper direction, and to incite an ambition 

 in every one who is so fortunate as to pos- 

 sess a prairie farm to obtain the right kind 

 of information, to go at it understandingly 

 and resolutely, to do all things right and 

 well, and we will guarantee a satisfactory 

 result. • . :• ' 



«•»- 



Sweet Potato Pie. — Boil the potatoes 

 very soft, then peel and mash them. To 

 every quarter of a pound, put one quart of 

 milk, three tablespoonfuls of butter, four 

 beaten eggs, together with sugar and net- 

 meg to the taste. It is improved by a glass 

 of wine. ■'■■..,. ^ . .. 



Indian Meal Puffs. — Into one quart of 

 boiling milk, stir eight tablespoonfuls of 

 meal, and four spoonfuls of sugar. Boil five 



minutes, stirring constantly. When cool, 

 add six well-beaten eggs. Bake in buttered 

 cups half an hour. Try them with a little 

 butter and maple molasses, and see if they 

 are not good. 



