34 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
better investment than that which returns sometimes thir¬ 
ty, sometimes sixty, often a hundred fold lor one. 
The crops from Somerset are the effects of liberal ma¬ 
nuring with fish. The effects of this manure, which is 
well knowm on many of the maritime parts of our state, 
are very powerful. But the farmers complain that is soon 
over; so is every thing else in human life soon over. I 
think, said a person to President Daggett of Yale College, 
on his introduction to him, you are President pro tem¬ 
pore —yes said he with some tartness of reply, would you 
have me President pro eternitate ?—Every thing with us 
is for a time. Use it for that time and be thankful that it 
does W'ell; but do not complain that its effects do not last 
forever. They w'ere not meant to last forever. The pre¬ 
tence, that it impoverishes the land, is idle; and amounts 
to this, that the land will not produce so much without the 
manure as it did with it. The complaints of its being so 
transient, when its liberal returns are admitted whenever 
it is applied, are the complaints of selfishness and indolence. 
The crop of carrots upon which a premium has been 
awarded is only an ordinary one; and we think the Board 
must have stretched their liberality as wide as the mantle 
of Christian charity to have honored it as they have done. 
We presume however that they were bound by their rules, 
this being the only claimant. At any rate, we have no 
doubt they judged uprightly and well. It will, or it ought 
to make some men ashamed of their own neglect. We 
know several who have raised their six hundred, and eight 
hundred bushels of carrots to the acre, and we know some 
who have grown a thousand, who will say on reading this 
award, “ Well I might have got that premium, if I had 
tried.” Why did you not try then? Try next time, and 
try until you do get it; and then keep a trying, until you 
get it for a larger.crop than was ever raised before. This 
is what farmers ought to do; and not be laying down in 
despair at the foot of every small hill, which they come 
to, which are often not higher than a tall man can look 
over, and crying out in despair, ah! I never can get over. 
Move on, Mr. Faintheart! Wake up, wake up! you slug¬ 
gard ! 
Mr. Payson Williams, of Fitchburg, one of the most 
successful farmers in Massachusetts, who knocks every 
year at the door of the Massachusetts society, and whom 
they are obliged to admit because he shows his sufficient 
warrant to come in and take the best they have, has we 
believe been formerly honored with a premium for raising 
55 bushels cf Black Sea wheat on an acre. We have 
known in Massachusetts two hundred bushels of wheat 
gathered from four acres; and seventy' bushels of rye 
grown on an acre; and ninety bushels of oats. What may 
not industry and skill effect. Barley is a crop, which 
ought to be much more cultivated than it is. The insect, 
which for some time, made fatal depredations upon it, has 
disappeared in a great measure. It was brought to this 
country in some importations of barley from Holland, made 
some years since by a large brewer in Newburyport.— 
The farmers for two or three years in that vicinity gave 
up the cultivation of barley, as they were advised and in¬ 
deed obliged to do, and it became extinct. It ordinarily, 
to good cultivation, yields well. It. does not mind a cold 
season, and for fatting swine, when intermixed wilh other 
feed, it is probably as good, pound for pound, as any other 
grain. 
Caleb Kirk on Hedging. 
Having preferred plashing to any other mode that I had 
seen made use of in training a hedge, I began the pro¬ 
cess when the stalks were about an inch in diameter near 
the root, and from that to an inch and a half; if well at¬ 
tended to in their previous growth, they will attain that 
size in six or seven years after they are planted, but if ne¬ 
glected they may require double that period. It may be 
observed that no advantage is gained by plashing before a 
good root is formed, for that is the future support and basis 
of the superstructure; by having a good strong root, the 
cutting or wounding the top or body of the stalk will soon 
recover any injury received in the necessary work of 
plashing, which is done by cutting the body of each stalk 
with a hedge knife or pruning hook, bending the stalk 
with one hand, in tne direction it is to be laid, at same 
time by a stroke of the knife by the other, about four in¬ 
ches from the surface of the ground; if one stroke should 
not prove sufficient, a second or third may be applied, be¬ 
ing careful to leave as much of the wood uncut as to af¬ 
ford the sap to flow into the top, and yet to bend easy in¬ 
to an inclined position of about forty-five degrees elevation 
from the base or bank on which it stands; one-third or one- 
fourth of uncut wood is sufficient to supply sap to the 
plashing, which must bend easy, otherwise it would in¬ 
cline to rise out of the proper degree of inclination. Much 
depends on this circumstance in forming a good and uni¬ 
form hedge—the plashings should not press one upon ano¬ 
ther so much as to prevent a free and unobstructed circu¬ 
lation of air and the sun’s rays also, as the health and vigor 
of the plashing is much promoted thereby. If there should 
be more wood in the hedge, by planting too close or any 
other cause, it must be cut away, leaving no more than 
what is really necessary to form the basis of a good and 
lasting live fence. One of my errors was, suffering too 
much brush wood to be crowded into my first live hedges, 
both living and dead—brush wood, such as was cut away, 
in some places where too thick, and filled in where too 
thin; in order to make a present fence I was induced to 
suffer it done in this way, from the recommendation of my 
hedger, who was from the west of England, and had been 
in that practice; for the immediate making a fence of such 
materials as he had to do with, I readily gave his judgment 
the preference, he having had experience in the business. 
But my observations in two or three years more, con¬ 
vinced me of the impropriety of introducing d>'ad wood to 
fill every vacancy, as well as crowding too much of that 
which was living. I had much of it to remove in places 
where a want of health demonstrated the present evil. 
After this was done, the remaining part became more 
healthy, but remains thin, and never will overcome the in¬ 
jury. There seems to be no inclination to put out shoots 
from the old wood in those vacancies—which wmuld have 
put forth shoots when newly laid, if no obstruction had 
been present. 
I find it is best to trim off the branches, especially the 
large ones, though not very close to the body of the stalk. 
It shoots young sprouts more abundantly from the plash¬ 
ing, which rise in an upright form, as well as those from 
the stumps shooting up through the plashing; interlocks 
the whole together, holding the plashing in their, place as 
cross bars, and forms a kind of lattice work. On the con¬ 
trary, if the plashing is too crowded, the shoots rising from 
the stump will evade the thicket and push out in a lateral 
direction, endeavoring to gain the benefit of sun and air, 
and rise on the outside, where they are injurious instead 
of beneficial; by secluding the plashing from the benefit of 
sun and air, the sap no longer inclines to the plashing, but 
flows freely into the suckers on the outside. 
I have been more particular on this point, having seen 
errors in others, as well as my own, on that head. 
Previous to laying a hedge, a quantity of stakes are to be 
provided about four feet and a half long, if it stands on a 
bank, or a little longer if the ground is not elevated, and 
split as small as they will bear to drive about one foot in 
the ground; they are to be driven through the plashing oc¬ 
casionally, as the work progresses, in a straight line two 
feet and a half, or three feet distant from each other, as 
seen in figure IS; those stakes are driven through the plash- 
Fig. 18. 
mg, so as to keep the part laid directly over the stumps, 
for reasons before given, (the shoots raising immediately 
through the plash;) these stakes are bound in their place 
by wattles or poles, prepared of alder or willow, or any 
thing that will not in future make useful timber, as their 
use is only temporary, until the hedge becomes set by 
growth. 
This binding has the appearance of a twisted rope; if 
rightly done it steadies the head of the stakes, and keeps 
them in a direct line,, and serves the purpose of holding 
straggling shoots, that may be directed under it3 confine¬ 
ment, and confines the top of the hedge, holding it steady 
for trimming until its own growth gives it stability. 
The next year after being laid it should be examined, 
and any shoot that inclines to leave the right direction 
■ should be cut away, unless there is a vacant spot to re¬ 
ceive it; then it ought to be introduced into such vacu¬ 
um; by frequently trimming the superfluous branches off, 
the body becomes more dense and impenetrable. 
About five years past, I adopted the summer trimming 
about the middle of June, and found it much easier to ac¬ 
complish while the shoot was in a tender state, and have 
regularly done the trimming in that and the following 
month ever since, finding the labor much easier perform¬ 
ed, and no bad effect on the hedges, though warned by 
some to the contrary, apprehending bad consequences to 
arise from cutting at that season. 
The present season having been excessively dry and 
warm, yet I have not discovered the least injury—though 
they have held their foliage as well as usual. 
My conclusion has been, that by cutting when the sap 
is in full flow, and taking away the small, shoots that were 
carrying off a considerable portion for their support, that 
portion must diffuse and spread through the whole body of 
the hedge, and add strength to every Remaining part. 
The foregoing remarks will apply to either kind of thorn 
as it regards the treatment of them, but the Virginia kind 
has advantages, though not so rugged in appearance, as the 
Delaware—they are more uniform in their growth, and 
give that regularity and uniformity to the hedge. But 
what is very important, is their inclination to send out an 
abundance of shoots or suckers, when cut not only from 
the stump, but from the plash also; the latter is not the 
case in the Delaware thorn; they seldom afford shoots out 
of the plash; except where the top end is cut off, the suck¬ 
ers will rise. 
To attain a regular distribution of shoots from the plash¬ 
ing, we must be mindful to give every stalk laid a proper 
degree of slope or inclined plane, as before observed; by 
that means they are likely to rise on the body of the plash; 
if too much elevated the sap flows to the head, and produ¬ 
ces a cluster at that point; and if laid too much in a hori¬ 
zontal position, the sap is not encouraged to follow that di¬ 
rection, and will produce succors from the stump only, 
leaving the plash without sufficient nourishment to become 
useful, and must consequently decline. 
It will be readily understood, that the more general we 
can direct the flow of sap through the whole body of the 
hedge, the strength and uniformity is thereby promoted, 
becoming healthy in all its parts. After that object is ob¬ 
tained, all that is necessary, is the keeping it in proper li¬ 
mits by trimming. 
The drawing represented by figure 18, is a view of a 
section of newly plashed hedge, divested of foliage, after 
having formed the first shoots from the old stalks, making 
the first effort to fill the vacancies, and seven years old be¬ 
fore it was cut. The figure 19, represents a section of 
Fig. 19. 
v-VY 
U 
wwmu 
one that has been laid seven years, and annually trimmed, 
being in full foliage at the time the drawing was taken. 
The former showing the skeleton of a 
Fig. 20. hedge, that may be useful to demonstrate 
i|. the subject in that stage of its progress to 
maturity. Figure 20, represent an end 
view of section 19, showing a correct view 
of the shape, which I preferred for the form¬ 
ing a hedge the most impenetrable at the 
bottom; those views are elevated on a bank 
from a foot to eighteen inches high, which 
was formed from repeated dressing, as 
they required fresh earth to cover the grass 
about the roots, which retards their growth 
in a young state remarkably, if not kept 
« down. This elevation gives the hedge a 
.much more forbidden appearance to ungo¬ 
vernable animals. 
The trimming maybe done with a hedge knife, about 
eighteen inches long, with a hooked point, used with one 
hand, or with any other sharp light tool that may best suit 
the operator, making the stroke upwards rather than down¬ 
wards; the root being secure in the ground it will not give 
way before the stroke, as it would in making the stroke 
downwards. The last trimmings made on those specimens, 
were done with a common grass scythe, as the mowers 
were cutting the grass inclosed in the field. I found by 
applying the scythe to the hedge it was an expeditious 
mode, though rather unhandy to strike upwards, but a lit¬ 
tle practice overcame the difficulty. 
After viewing those specimens of hedges produced by 
the foregoing mode of management and in a given time, it 
will be information to some, I have no doubt, sufficient to 
determine their choice, whether a dead or living fence is 
to be preferred. 
I made the choice upon an imaginary view, without hav¬ 
ing advantage of ocular demonstration, and without any 
idea of the comparative expense, or even attempting to 
make any calculation on the subject, as I had made up my 
determination prefering a live fence. 
There is now some data to form an estimate upon; and 
the subject is of such a nature as to require a series of 
years to gain the desired object; yet I have a confidence 
in believing it can be ascertained with much correctness. 
The last number on this subject being more fully de¬ 
monstrated by a drawing, not only to assist the young hus¬ 
bandman in the best mode of forming his live fences, but 
to give a view, of what may be considered a specimen of 
a finished hedge, or one that has attained maturity, being 
thirteen years old from the time of planting, and needs no 
further care but that of annual trimmings, shearing or 
clipping the extra shoots, that incline to enlarge it beyond 
proper limits. The mode has been heretofore treated of.. 
It now' becomes the next inquiry what is the cost of ob¬ 
taining such a desirable inclosure, to protect and secure 
the labors of the farmer, and, at the same time, ornament 
his farm. The following is a correct estimate, as near as 
the nature of the case wfill admit, calculated lor the lati¬ 
tude or neighborhood of the writer of these notes, being 
done from actual experiments, made by himself, and some 
of his neighboring farmers pursuing the same plan of hedg¬ 
ing; taking a given quantity or distance, say one hundred 
pannels of post and rail fence, measuring ten feet to the 
pannel, which is the usual length, makes sixty perches and 
ten feet over. 
One thousand quicks will plant that distance, cost from 
nursery, .....$5 00 
Planting them by a man and boy each two days, 
man’s w'ages and board at 75 cts. ... 1 50 
boy’s do. 50 cts. 1 00 
One dressing the first year by running a furrow or 
two with the plough,.. 25 
And then a light dressing with the hoe, (same hand) 75 
Expense of first year, ... .. 8 50 
2d. year dressing as above,.. $1 00 
3d. year do. 1 00 
4th. year do. 1 00 
5th. year do. 1 00 
6th. year do. I 00 
5 years dressing,...$5 00 
7th. year trenching to prepare for plashing, 
plough and horse,. $0 50 
And three days’ work, at 75 cts. throwing 
500 stakes, counting labor as above, includ¬ 
ing timber,. 3 50 
Wattles and cutting them,.. • > • 2 00 
One hand three days at plashing, at $1* ... 3 00 
Expense of 7th year,..H 25 
* The wages of a hand to plash is at $1, being an artist at 
the business, but that will, when generally in practice, be 
done by common laborers as readily as any other labor on a 
farm, with a little attention of the owner. 
