, 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
21 


Woodland, Lawn and Garden. 
——_—__————. 
HEDGES AND THEIR USES. 

No. II.—THe Norway SPRUCE. 
+ 


“The hedge was thick as is a castle wall, 
$0 that who list without to stand or go, 
hough he would all the day pry to and fro, 
He could not see if there-were any wight 
Within or no.” —CHAUSER. 
In our first paper upon hedges—their growth, culture and 
adaptedness to the wants of the husbandman, the landscape 
gardener and others—we placed the arbor vite at the head 
of all our evergreens. This favorite and truly beautiful 
plant stands justly at the head of all our hedge plants, and 
will always be in requisition for the purposes of strength, 
beauty and durability, and as the plant for hedges par 
excellence. 
Now it is one of the necessities of the well-tilled field 
that the precious grains therein enclosed should be securely 
protected from all foes from without—should be securely 
hedged. 
_““There was a certain householder which planted a vine- 
yard, and hedged it round about.” Here we have the old 
authoritative voice of antiquity for our favorite hedges, and 
we readily find the use and application of ‘green mate- 
rials” was a.pastime well known even in the days of 
Homer. You will at once recur to the familiar allusion to 
hedge-making, known to Laertes on his return from the 
wars and the enquiry ‘‘where is the old king, my father; why 
greets he not his son ?” He found him in his garden break- 
ing up the ground preparatory to planting a hedge, while 
his sérvants had gone to the adjacent woods. 
“To search the woods for sets of flowery thorn, 
Their orchard bounds to strengthen and adorn.” 
—Pope's Odessey. 
For a beautiful, durable and impenetrable evergreen 
hedge we place next to the arbor vite the Norway spruce. 
This magnificent tree, the pride of the arborescent gar- 
dener, developing itself in stately grandeur when standing 
alone or in groups upon our lawns, when planted out in 
small plants, in symmetrical rows, makes one of our very 
best hedges extant. For the enclosing of parks or grounds 
where a tall shelter from the prevailing winds from any 
given point is desirable, this tree seems admirably adapted 
by Providence for just this use. The Norway spruce will 
thrive quite well upon almost any ordinary soil, and even 
in the most gravelly will send up a straight, firmly com- 
pacted cone of beauty.* 
A few years since, we well recollect, there was quite a 
hue and cry made as to the utter impossibility of raising 
evergreen hedges. Many persons, some of them passing 
for very sensible men, wrote foolish articles, and made still 
more foolish speeches, on the ‘“‘Hedge Question.” Time 
has since proved the fallacy of their predictions. Facts 
have for years been arrayed against these fancies of long 
ago, and the skillful landscape gardener now points the 
skeptic of 1850 toa long half mile of majestic Norway 
spruce hedge, in all its greenness and compactness, truly 
beautiful to behold, as the once “‘poor little despised scrag- 
gle” they saw in the original seedlings of eighteen inches.+ 
Tn this case seeing has become believing that some things 
can be done as well as others. 
The true value of the Norway spruce cannot easily be 
overrated when we ask ourselves the practical question, 
“What do we want such a hedge for?” ‘Why it is a 
standard tree, one whose trunk when well developed isa 
tower of itself, and it flings its huge arms abroad like : 
young giant ?” Truly such isthe fact; yet this giant of 
the forest, this-paladin of the lawn, becomes your servant, 
and holds beneath its sheltering arms all the various gifts of 
pomona. The hedges of Norway spruce in some parts of 
Massachusetts are used for enclosures, or ‘‘break-lands,” 
familiarly called, for the protection of choice pear, peach 
and fine fruits. 
I can cite many cases with which I am familiar 
where, previous to the planting of hedges of this kind, but 
few pear trees of our choicest kinds could be grown, and 
those all inclined in the direction that the prevailing or 
strongest winds blew.{ Some trees never overcome this 
fixed habit ; others can by judicious treatment be brought 
back again to something like their primitive form. 
Every close observer of the most simple laws of nature 
will have observed that in many regions of our country low 
currents of cold air in winter are very prevalent, and if 
they push their inquiries still further they will find this cold 
element of air always proves very destructive to the stems 
not only of many species of plants, but especially is it de- 
structive to the stem and twigs of the pear.§ 
Now, friend, if you would remedy in a measure these 
effects enclose your orchards with such protection as you 
*T have seen some of the most gigantic specimens of this tree jutting 
out from the crevices of almost perpendicular precipices, showing both 
life and beauty. : 
+This hedge is growing within one mile of the residence of “Olipod 
Quill,” and can be seen by any one desirous of witnessing one of the 
most beautiful hedge rows of Norway spruce in Massachusetts. 
$The best remedy for these effects are found rather in hedging your 
orchard first and setting your pear trees afterwards. This explanation 
seems necessary in this place, though really belonging to the department 
of agriculture. 
§I haye seen a curious and yery peculiar result. of the intense coldness 
of this undercurrent of cold air acting upon unprotected trees. The 
compression of airin their cells becomes so great by sudden and very 
severe cold as to produce asort of explosion, much Jike that caused by 
application of fire to gunpowder, 
* 


find readily at hand ; protect your trees by a good substan- 
tial hedge. The lower branches of the trees are those 
which need the sheltering arms of the firmly-set hedge-row. 
The higher branches remain uninjured when the lower ones 
suffer badly. Remember that there is no better protection 
than a belt of fine, large evergreens for your orchard trees, 
especially the tenderest kinds. 
Such a hedge as Ihave been describing can be had in 
nearly every State in the Union under good or ordinary cir- 
cumstances, and we do not hesitate to say, from a most 
careful observation, that evergreens, belts and hedges of 
frees are worth at least ten times the cost of producing the 
same. 
The time for planting out the Norway spruce for hedges 
we have found to be*as soon as possible after the 5th of 
April to the 15th of June for all States north of Virginia. 
They can be made to live even laterif they are well set, yet 
they are very jealous of kind treatment. The next best 
time we recommend to be from the 1st of September to the 
5th of November. In all our Northern States the Norway 
spruce, like the arbor vite, stands the severest climate. 
Even in the years of 1860 and ’61—winters of extreme 
cold—the evergreen trees of our New England States re- 
mained uninjured, while those of Great Britain—many of 
them—were very badly killed. 
»« The Norway spruce hedge, when once permanently estab- 
lished, grows to maturity quite rapidly. The plants should 
be procured from the nursery—to be of good form, and 
in height about one foot to eighteen inches. Plants suitable 
for making a good hedge will probably cost from $12 to $16 
per hundred, or even less, They should be set from three 
to five feet apart for a large sized hedge, and may be kept 
well pruned, as they bear the knife as well asthe arbor 
vite. Care is required in starting out a new hedge ; they 
will not need pruning the first year after setting out. Upon 
setting the same dig a trench two feet wide and two deep, 
filling in about one foot or little more with good garden 
mould, preserving the roots unbroken when set out. At 
setting a slight watering may be given to the roots previous 
to covering in the soil, which is to be firmly pressed about 
the roots and leveled. Now mulch with almost any stub- 
ble—seaweed, salt, hay, sedge, &c. Keep out the weeds 
for two or three years, and you will have just such a hedge 
as will always delight your eye and gladden your heart. 
The second year this hedge will be ready to give its first 
side cutting, or pruning, the thickness of the hedge to be 
governed by the inclination of the proprietor, but of less 
than two feet from the bottom are the side shoots to be 
pruned, and some even claim a width of three feet, 
OLIPOD QUILL. 
Hews Sram Abroad. 
England, in a sporting way, has just recovered from the 
effiects of the Goodwood races. This important event may 
however be represented in the light of a vigorous yawn, 
prior to a long sleep, for after it comes London’s dull time. 
To-day clubs are mostly abandoned, and unfortunate mem- 
bers wander listlessly through deserted rooms. Even 
cavalry officers have tethered up their spry little game ponies, 
somewhat run down by excessive polo playing. But still 
there is the lively movement of those preparing for the 
shooting season, and guns are furbished, and dogs are un- 
leashed, and visions of grouse, partridges, plover, and wood- 
cock are in the distance. Opinions are still somewhat 
divided as to the quantity and quality of the game birds, 
and fears are entertained that they may not be as plentiful as 
last season.—In reviewing the athletic sports for the year, 
strange to say, a leading authority complains of the overpet- 
ting given by the higher classes to such contests in England, 
(we only wish we could have some of it here), stating that 
one of the consequences of this overfondling, has been “that 
it has checked a useful critical temper and disposition,” 
in regard to such pastimes. If only, we repeat, some little 
of the over-gushing, what the French call le trop plein, 
would come this way, how it would be appreciated.—Some 
very little quiet growling is indulged by the papers in rela- 
tion to the cock-fighting, not as much at the measures used 
how to prevent it, but because the individual who has been 
prominent in efforts for its suppression, Mr. Peter Taylor, 
has been opposed to the flogging of garroters. It is what 
John Bull calls unreflecting humanitarianism.—All yachting 
matters are lively, and the general fleet ready for its two 
months cruising.—On the continent, now that Baden and 
Hamburg have become strictly moral, vigorous attempts, in 
the way of pigeon shooting, steeple chases, and running 
races are to be inaugurated at the watering places, all as in- 
centives for the traveling British, who seem more than any 
other people on earth, to miss their rouge et noir. 
—To show how cricket is appreciated we copy the follow- 
ing from the Held: j 
YORKSHIRE VY. GLOUCESTERSHIRE.—Another Yorkshire 
Chieftain has made an appeal to the public, after a lone 
and honorable career, Tor nearly twenty years the name of 
Rowbotham has been intimately associated with Yorkshire 
cricket. The match chosen for the benefit was the one 
above named, and reports say that on no previous occasion 
have so many people congregated at Brammalllane, the 
scene of action. On Monday 11,080 paid for admission; 
and, as upwards of 4000 tickets were sold, the attendance 
could not have been far. short of 13,000. The spectators 
also mustered strongly on the two succeeding days, and the 
weather was favorable throughout. 



—Mr. Fred, R. Lane, in his yatcht Linda, has reached Aus- 
tralia, having been only thirty-five days in sailing from 
Port Natal, East Africa, a distance of 4000 miles, The 
yacht left England on the 4th of June. It was the inten- 
tiou of this spirited yachtman to cross the Pacific, making San 
Francisco his next port. Two members of the cruising 
club, are doing the Rhine in their canoes. 
On the 10th of this month, an interesting pigeon race 
took place, which we take from the Jeld, 
This morning I had the pleasure of liberating at the Lon- 
don Bridge station eight pigeons belonging to the members 
of the Folkestone Club. These birds competed for a valua- 
ble silver cup. They were liberated together in the Belgian 
manner, and, rising well into the air, they flew straight 
away in the right direction without a turn. The blue cock 
belonging to Messrs. Medhurst and Hooper, and the blue hen 
belonging to Mr. Sutton, flew a dead heat, the time, includ 
ing that required for capturing and showing the birds, 
being seventy-five minutes; the exact distance sixty-three 
miles. 
Respecting the use of the cormorant, an adoption from 
the Chinese methods of fishing, we copy as follows; 
In a letter lately received from my good friend M. Pichot, 
is the following interesting bit of news relating to cormor- 
ant fishing: ‘‘ Ihave had this morning a very interesting 
letter from Mr. De la Rue, the forest inspector, who keeps 
our birds. He has been down to Chatellerault to fish a 
pond so much crowded with weeds, that it was impossible 
to take any fish there, either by line or by net. So the mas- 
ter of the place, Mr. Trenille, one of our good masters of 
hounds, laid a wager of £25 with some friends that he 
would take fish there with Mr. De le Rue’s cormorants, and 
accordingly De le Rue went down there last week, and won 
the wager most splendidly. But he tells me of a very in- 
teresting episode. His two cormorants are in full flight, 
and while standing at the foot of the Castle of Chitree, 
whose ruins stand over the valley of the Vienne, which 
river runs at about one mile’s distance, the cormorants 
espied the water in the valley, and one of them, named 
‘Red,’ immediately took to his wings, and flew towards the 
river. All the assistants believed the cormorant lost, but 
De la Rue calling out loudly to his bird, and waving his 
glove as a ‘lure,’ called him back instantly, and the cor- 
morant, after having described a wide circle round the 
ruins, alighted at the feet of his master. This is the first 
time I have heard of a cormorant being flown like a hawk.” 
I have for many years used trained cormorants for fishing, 
but never experienced a similar thing.—F, H. Sanvin, 
tee 
The coaching rage hasrun over to Ireland. 
Land and Water we cut the following: 
_ “Not content with a Four-in-Hand Club in its chief town, 
Dublin, Roscommon has determined to make its mark, and 
actually turned out noess than three coaches on the last fair 
day, and thus made it memorable. Twomore were expected, 
but were stopped by the ills of horseflesh. The special 
reporter of the district describes the scene in the following 
graphic manner:—‘ The crowd which lined the streets was 
so vast that barely a narrow lane was left for the teams to 
pass through, andthe cheering was so tremendous that 
only steady horses and steady coachmen could have done 
the journey without accident.’” 
oo 
DOES RACING ENCOURAGE GAMBLING? 
al BEVEL 
ay Rae tendency of racing to encourage gambling and to 
promote the breed of blacklegs is a serious and grow- 
ing objection, the most serious perhaps of all objections, 
to the sports of the Turf. But race-horses are not dice of 
necessity ; and there is no necessary connection between 
horse-racing and gambling, because a bet is the touchstone 
of an Englishman’s sincerity, and as long as this is the case 
it is as hopeless to attempt to put down gambling by sup- 
pressing races as it would be to talk of arresting the sunby 
stopping our chronometers. It cannot be done. Parlia- 
ment might interdict horse-racing to-morrow, and make it a 
penal offence to book a bet wpon a race for a pair of gloves 
or a white hat. But gambling would still be carried on : 
and it is an open question even now whether more money 
does not change hands on the Stock Exchange in the course 
of a single fortnight in what are really and truly gambling 
transactions than changes hands at Tattersall’s, and on the 
race course of Hngland, inayear. It is a foible of English- 
men, and all we can dois to make the best of it. Tattersall’s 
is not the only spot within the four seas where gambling is 
carried on. It penetrates the whole of our social and com- 
mercial life. It is the life and soul of much of our trade. 
The ironmasters of Staffordshire gamble in iron-warrants. 
The brokers and bankers of Liverpool gamble in cotton- 
From the 
bales. The Manchester men gamble in grey shirtings. The 
merchants and brokers of Mark Lane gamble in corn. 
The shipowners of the Tyne and the north-eastern ports 
gamble with their cargoes and crews. It is, in fact, hard to 
find anything in which some of us are not gambling more 
or less all through the year, from molasses to madollapans. 
The sports of the Turf are in themselves a healthy, manly, 
invigorating pastime ; and the pastime, with steeplechas- 
ing, hunting, boat-racing, and the rest of our sports, has 
helped to make the national character what it is. An Ene- 
lishman loves a horse as much as an Arab does. It is an 
instinct with us all. It isin the blood. You cannot erad- 
icate it; and perhaps on the whole, it is hardly desirable 
to attempt to eradicate it; for people must have sport 
of some sort, and if they cannot have healthy and ex- 
hilarating sports, like those at Epsom and Newarket, they 
will take to something worse. Jlorse-racing is at least a hu- 
maner sport than bull-fighting. It is healthier than the 
cards and dice of the Italian and French casinos., It is pleas- 
anter than the beer-bibbing customs of the Germans. The 
‘Turf has, and must have, its follies and its vices, like every- 
thing else ; and when a race-horse is turned into dice on 
four legs, the sports of the Turf take a form which true 
sportsmen, themselves must reprobate as well as the best of 
us. But to say, as one of the severest of our satirists has 
said, that although the horse in itself is one of the noblest 
animals, it is the only animal which develops in its com- 
panion the worst traits of our nature, is to do an injustice 
to the horse as well as to its rider; and if the observation 
were true, it would apply quite as much to the highest and 
noblest of pur race as it does to the troop of blacklegs 
who are to be found on every race-course.— Gentlemen's Mag- 
azine, 
i 
—In 1870 there were in England 977,707 horses, in 1872, 
962,548, a decrease of 15,159, Jreland hasfabout one third 
less horses than England. 
