HEDGES 131 
a fen miles off it is only a success when given the protection of a 
wall. 
Useful Hedges.—Hollies make the finest hedges. The plants 
should be uniform in size and well furnished to the base. Suitable 
evergreen hedges may be made by planting Yew or Box, and 
others with Hornbeam, Beech, and Myrobalan Plum; in fact, any 
tree or shrub which will stand being frequently cut back and at 
the same time remain well furnished at the base, will make a use- 
ful hedge. The Privet forms a good hedge but it is very common. 
Thorn and similar hedges are only trimmed up in the spring and 
summer, all severe cutting back being done in the autumn or winter. 
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A BADLY TRIMMED HEDGE, A WELL TRIMMED HEDGE. 
How to Train a Hedge.—A well kept hedge adds consider- 
ably to the general appearance of a garden, no matter whether 
the latter be a flower or a vegetable garden. All hedges of 
plants with large leaves, such as Laurel, Holly, and Elm, should be 
cut with a knife so as not to mutilate the large leaves by cutting 
through them with the blades of a pair of shears. But for small 
leaved plants such as Thorns and Privets the latter instrument is 
the better to use. 
The first sketch shows the form a hedge will quickly assume 
if only the points of the shoots are cut off each time. The result 
will be that the hedge will become unduly broad, bulging out in the 
centre, thin at the bottom, and weak at the top. Such a fence 
should be cut as shown by the two long dark lines. 
The second sketch shows the section of a well trimmed hedge. 
