ON FENCES. 
569 
thrown behind the thorn bed and upon the 
roots of the plants, in order to secure them 
from drought, or from any other danger. 
The ditch is now to be cleared out to its in- 
tended depth. The ditch should be narrowed 
at the bottom to about a spade's breadth ; and 
the sides should slope at an angle of forty- 
five degrees. It is very essential that the 
ditch be properly adapted for the unobstructed 
descent of the water. 
Another mode of planting the Quickset, 
which I have tried on a small scale with 
success, is by trenching or digging moderately 
deep the ground on the line of the intended 
new fence ; then making a sort of angular 
furrow with the spade, in which the plants 
are inserted; and after the roots being covered 
with soil, and that soil compressed by the foot, 
more mould applied to fill the furrow. A 
sharp knife is used in cutting off the stems 
close by the surface ; these cuts are covered 
with a very light sprinkling of earth, merely 
to preserve them from frost. They grow 
away beautifully in the spring after being 
planted. One advantage of -this mode of 
planting is, that much less room is required, as 
the cast or mound is dispensed with, and the 
land can be cropped much nearer to the fences. 
This mode may be objected to on moderately 
damp land, or even on what we may reason- 
ably call wet land ; but even in this descrip- 
tion of land, when properly prepai'ed, as 
before recommended, and a drain cut at a 
moderate distance from the new line of fence, 
to carry off the water, the Quicksets may be 
planted without any fear of their failure. The 
soil and other earth taken out of this open 
ditch will form an excellent compost, of great 
advantage to the land. In dry situations this 
is the best mode of planting the Thorn, as a 
sufficient quantity of moisture is retained to 
promote the growth of the plant. In this 
mode of planting, the roots are put into, and 
remain in the earth, instead of being raised 
out of it. The proper season for planting 
is from about the middle of October to the 
end of March, or during the inertness of 
the sap. 
The Thorns being planted, it is desirable, 
and highly necessary, that they should be pro- 
tected from injury. The best protection is that 
of a wooden railing. This precaution should 
be taken immediately on the completion of the 
fence, or, at least, before any animals have 
access to it. Another mode of protection is 
by stake and rise fencing. These stakes 
being generally placed upon the top of the 
cast (in most cases too near the hedge), and 
filled with brushwood, I have also considered 
prejudicial to the growth of the plant, by the 
exclusion of the air, by the continual dropping 
in wet weather from the brushwood, and in 
snow storms, by collecting an immense quan- 
tity of snow, which, falling down upon the 
young plants, causes considerable injury by 
breaking off their tops and twigs. The pro- 
tection of young hedges by railing is expen- 
sive, but it is certain they come to perfection 
much sooner when thus protected. 
In the after management great care is to 
be exercised in opening out those thorns 
which have been covered up. Tin's is best 
done by loosening the earth with the band, or 
with a small stick, and least injury is done in 
this way to the buds. Neither a spade, nor any 
other sharp instrument, ought ever to be used 
in this operation. The most essential point is 
now to keep the plants clean and free from 
weeds. This is pretty easily done if com- 
menced in good time. The best mode of 
weeding the plants the first year is by the 
hand. The weeding and otherwise cleaning 
the hedges should be done twice every year, 
until the hedge has surmounted every ob- 
stacle to its growth. The hedge should be 
carefully pruned the second year, in order 
that it may get thick and bushy. This is a 
very easy operation, and is performed with a 
hedge-knife. I would not have much hesi- 
tation to perform this operation at any time 
of the year. I would, in fact, recommend the 
pruning to be clone twice a year — once in 
winter, and again in the latter end of July or 
in the beginning of August. In fact I would 
follow the advice of a very intelligent and 
respectable gardener and nurseryman in Scot- 
land, who, when asked this question, " When 
is the best time of year to prune thorn 
hedges ? " answered, " Whenever your knife 
is sharpest." It is of great importance to have 
a sharp instrument with which to perform 
this operation, which must always be done 
by an upright stroke of the hand. I do not 
like the principle of cutting or dressing hedges 
with shears. The cut is not so smoothly 
made ; the surface is therefore more liable to 
be injured by wet ; besides, an expert work- 
man, with a good switch knife, will do double 
the quantity in a day that he would do with 
the hedge shears. When two men are em- 
ployed at one time in switching the same 
hedge, viz. one on each side of the fence, they 
ought to begin at different ends. Thorn 
hedges must be pruned once a year, after they 
have attained the height of about four feet 
and a half. I do not see much necessity for 
having them higher than that at any time. 
They ought to be about two feet wide at the 
bottom, and taper away to a point at the top, 
at the height above stated. For want of at- 
tention to the pruning and dressing of hedges 
we are called upon repeatedly to look upon 
naked, stunted, open, and unsightly fences. 
If some of those have got any dressing at all, 
