104, 



A DISCOURSE 



BOOK II. our former work. That which we affirmed to require the greatest 

 "-^"^^"^ dexterity, is the artificial plashing of our hedge, when it is arrived 

 to a six or seven years' head ; though some stay till the tenth, or longer. 

 In February therefore, or October, with a very sharp hand-bill, cut away 

 all superfluous sprays and stragglers, which may hinder your progress, 

 and are useless. Then searching out the pruicipal stems, with a keen 

 and light hatchet cut them slantwise, close to the ground, hardly three 

 quarters through, or rather so far only as tiU you can make them comply 

 handsomely, which is your best direction, lest you rift the stem, and so 

 lay it from your sloping as you go, folding in the lesser branches which 

 spring from them ; and ever within five or six feet distance, where you 

 find an upright set, (cutting off only the top to the height of your intended 

 hedge,) let it stand as a stake, to fortify your work, and to receive the 

 twinings of those branches about it. Lastly, at the top (which should be 

 about five feet above ground) take the longest, most slender, and flexible 

 twigs which you reserved, and (being cut as the former, where need 

 requires) bind in the extremities of aU the rest ; and thus your work 

 is finished. This being done very close and thick, makes an impregnable 

 hedge in a few years ; for it may be repeated as you see occasion ; and 

 what you so cut away wiU help to make your dry hedges for your young 

 plantations, or be profitable for the oven, and make good bavin. There 

 are some yet who would have no stakes cut from the trees, save here 

 and there one, so as to leave half the head naked, and the other standing ; 

 but the over-hanging boughs will kiU what is under them, and ruin the 

 tree ; so pernicious is this half-topping ; let this be a total amputation 

 for a new and lusty spring. There is nothing more prejudicial to 

 subnascent young trees, than, when newly trimmed and pruned, to have 

 their (as yet raw) wounds poisoned with continual di'ipping, as is well 

 observed by Mr. Nourse ; but this is meant of repairing decayed hedges. 

 For stakes in the above work. Oak is to be preferred, though some will 

 use Elder, but it is not good, or the Black Thorn and Crab-tree ; in 

 moorish ground. Withy, Ash, INIaple, and Hasel, but not lasting, di-iven 

 well in at every yard of interval both before and after they are bound, 

 till they have taken the hard earth, and are very fast ; and even yoiu* 

 plashed hedges need some small thorns to be laid over to protect tlie 

 spring from cattle and sheep, till they are somewhat fortified, and the 

 doubler the winding is lodged the better, which should be beaten, and 

 forced down together with the stakes, as equally as may be. Note, that 



