130 Hedges and Screens. 



ties, where their preparation for market now forms a regular business. 

 The fruit is collected and rotted, and the seeds washed out and dried. 

 They should not be dark-colored, nor moldy, but bright, and will 

 weigh about 35 pounds to the bushel. They are best if grown 

 the year previous, and should not be more than two years old. 



523. It is usually better to obtain the plants from those who make 

 a business of raising them for the market. They are started from 

 the seed by first pouring on very warm, and almost scalding hot 

 water, draining off' the surplus, covering, and allowing them to lie 

 (being frequently stirred) till they are swollen and ready to sprout. 

 They are then at once planted by hand, or by machine, in rows 

 about 18 to 24 inches apart, and cultivated to keep down the weeds. 

 Late in the fall they should be mowed down, and the roots, after 

 being loosened up by plowing, should be picked out, assorted, tied 

 into bunches, and buried in dry trenches or kept in a cellar till 

 spring. 



524. Having previously prepared the ground along the line of the 

 hedge, by thorough plowing and cultivation, mark the lines with a 

 cord, and set the plants with a spade, dibble, or trowel, about two 

 inches deeper than they grew before, and in rows from 8 to 12 or 15 

 inches apart, the richer soil requiring a wider distance between. 



525. For a strong hedge, it is sometimes well to set two rows, as 

 already described. These rows may be from 6 to 9 inches apart. 



526. To secure an effectual hedge, two methods are employed. 

 The first and best one is to obtain a broad and dense base, by cut- 

 ting back, but allowing the plants to stand upright ; in the other, 

 they are allowed to grow high at first, but are then bent down, in- 

 terwoven and confined in a sloping or horizontal position. 



527. It is not usual to prepare a bank and ditch, as is prescribed 

 in many English books upon hedge-making, but across wet grounds, 

 it would be advisable to do so. 



528. The care required the first year, is to keep the ground mel- 

 low and free of weeds, and in very dry times it may be advisable 

 to protect the plants by mulching. If the object be to secure a 

 dense upright growth, the plants should be mowed off close, in the 

 spring of the second year, vacant places should be filled up, and 

 the cultivation continued. In mid-summer, the upright stems 

 should be cut back to within four or five inches of the ground, leav- 

 ing those that spread out laterally. If the growth is still vigorous 



