March.] THE NURSERY. 261 
them by the heels in the earth, to be taken up as wanted, lest their 
roots should become dry and be injured thereby. Then proceed to 
form your ditch, which should be four feet wide at least at top, 
narrowing with a gentle slope on each side towards the bottom, to 
the perpendicular depth of two feet and a half, where it should be 
one foot wide. The more your ground is subject to slip by heavy 
rains, the greater slope must be given to the bank side. 
Begin by cutting the surface sod of the ditch into squares of con- 
venient size, and about three inches deep, having previously lined 
out and cut both sides with a spade, sloping inwards as above inti- 
mated, and lay a row of them with the grassy surface under, six 
inches inward from the edge on the bank side; lay on top of this 
row of sods, two inches of the loose and mellow earth, that is, the 
best the ditch aftbrds, and also a quantity of it behind them, for 
about eighteen inches or two feet, breaking it very fine with the 
spade: on this lay your quicks nearly in a horizontal manner, their 
tops being a little elevated, and at the distance of six inches one 
from the other, and so far in that three or four inches of their tops may 
remain uncovered when the ditch is finished. Spread the roots to 
advantage, and cover them well with the mouldy earth that drop- 
ped from the surface sod: this is necessary, in order to give their 
roots the advantage of the best soil, and should on no account be 
neglected. Then proceed to finish your ditch and bank, laying the 
remainder of the surface sods in front of the bank, as you had done 
■with the first row, giving it exactly a similar slope to that of the 
ditch, and the whole bank such a form, as if it was taken up at 
once out of the ditch and turned upside down. The scarcement 
left in front, throws the bank so far back, as not to bear heavily on 
the side of the ditch to crush it down, and it also will receive and 
retain a considerable portion of the rain that slides down along the 
face of the bank, by which means the earth in front will be kept in 
a more moist state than if no such thing was left. 
Were you to lay in two rows of quicks in the front, the second 
eight or nine inches above the first, and the plants in each row nine 
or ten distant, placing those of the upper opposite the intervals of 
the lower, it would be the most effectual method of making a better 
and more immediate fence. A very slight paling, on top of the 
bank, that will defend the quick for three years, will be sufficient; 
and if the land in front is not in cultivation, but under stock, a 
similar fence may be necessary to prevent their going into the ditch, 
and reaching the plants; but if you take particular care to keep 
them constantly wed, for the two first years, which is absolutely 
necessary or all is lost labour, they will have the less inducement 
to approach them. 
There are many other methods of making hedge and ditch fences; 
but having found, from ample experience, the above to be the most 
successful, I shall confine myself exclusively to it, lest too much 
speculation might lead people astray, and retard the progress of 
this important business. 
