fall or spring, according to the location. If the position is elevated, and the soil naturally dry, fall planting is to be preferred; in low positions, or in wet soil, spring planting is safer, as the plants are liable, in such soils, to be thrown out of the ground during winter. Even in wet soils, however, the practice of planting in the fall has of late been adopted, and with perfect success, by placing the plants in a slanting position, instead of an upright one, and covering them slightly with litter. No hedge will be perfectly satisfactory in soils saturated with water during winter.

The perfection of a hedge, even with the best plants, depends altogether upon the treatment it receives in its early growth. Neglect in pruning, during this period, can seldom be remedied in after years; and to this, more than to any other cause, failures in forming good hedges may be attributed. A brief statement of the principles involved in forming them will, therefore, be given.

The only form in which a hedge can be kept, to be of service as a fence, is that of a pyramid. When it has attained a height of five feet, it should be at least three feet wide at the base or surface of the ground. All pruning must be directed with a view to securing this form. When the plants are first set out, they should be pruned back to within three inches of the ground, and allowed to grow undisturbed during the first season, their growth in the meantime being encouraged by judicious cultivation. At the termination of the yearly growth, the plants should again be pruned down to within four inches of the first pruning, and the side shoots below this point also be removed to within an inch of the main stem. This severe pruning of the branches will give to the roots a vigorous growth; and, when the buds burst in spring, strong shoots will immediately follow. During this second year's growth the hedge may be partially shaped by repressing the growth of the strongest perpendicular shoots, and encouraging those of horizontal tendency. Practically this is accomplished by going over the plants about the end of June, and cutting all upright shoots back to a point about eight inches above the previous winter pruning, taking care not to disturb a shoot or leaf on the side branches below that point. In thus cutting back the upright shoots, the side growth will be increased, and a breadth of base secured, which, at this stage of growth, is the most important point of all. In the following winter the hedge, if it has progressed at all favorably, may be pruned down to fourteen inches in height from the ground surface, with the horizontal branches extending from nine to twelve inches on each side. The principles of pruning are, that growth is repressed by summer trimming, and encouraged by pruning after the leaves have fallen. By keeping these facts in mind, and practicing accordingly, the shaping of a hedge is only a work of time. The lower branches can always be retained as healthy, and produce as much density of foliage as the upright portion of the plants, if the pyramidal form is strictly maintained; but if, at any time, the upright growth predominates, the lower limbs will proportionately lose vigor. The upright shoots should, therefore, be pruned during summer, in order to weaken the growth at that point, and to strengthen and keep the base of the hedge vigorous and close. The principal pruning of the lower branches should be performed during winter.

This is the only way in which a hedge can be made that will be effective as a fence; and the neglect of the principles here suggested is generally the origin of the conflicting opinions with regard to the value and efficiency of hedges as farm fences. They may receive some attention for a year or two, but when it becomes thoroughly understood that

they cannot be preserved unless trimmed during summer, when attention is wholly given to ordinary crops, farmers are not always disposed to give hedges the attention necessary to keep them in good condition; and therefore they fail to be of service. It should, however, be remembered that, as the hedge becomes perfect, the yearly labor to keep it in order gradually becomes less; and at no time does it require so much labor as that required to keep a common wooden fence in good repair.

For purposes of protection and shelter to gardens, or as dividing lines in the grounds of country and suburban residences, hedges are of the greatest utility. For these purposes there is an extensive choice of plants, both evergreen and deciduous. A well-grown evergreen hedge is found to be as congenial a protection for the garden as a brick wall. The commercial value of shelter, in accelerating early crops, is not so generally known as it deserves to be; yet it is fully appreciated and adopted by many of the most successful cultivators; and, as a means of arresting drying winds and lessening evaporation in level tracts destitute of trees, no just estimate can be made of the intrinsic value of close-foliaged hedges.

Among evergreen plants the Norway spruce (Abies excelsa) is the most valuable where a high, strong wind-break is necessary; and, for the purposes of sheltering orchards and vineyards, it is unsurpassed. It will, in time, form a very close and compact hedge when trimmed; but to produce an effective shelter in the shortest period, the plants should be set four to six feet apart in the row or line, and allowed to grow undisturbed, so far as pruning is concerned, until the leading or top shoot reaches the required height. Then by merely trimming the top, so as to keep it at this height, the side branches will spread and interlace, forming a screen quite as effective and more beautiful than a closely-clipped hedge.

For general purposes, perhaps the most useful plant, all things considered, for an evergreen hedge, is the American arbor-vitæ (Thuja occidentalis.) Its habit of changing to a dingy brown color during winter is a fault easily overlooked, and more than compensated by its numerous good qualities. It is a plant of free growth, readily transplanted, of comparatively small cost, and grows well in any good soil, but preferably in a clayey loam. Plants of one foot in height, set twelve to fourteen inches apart, will reach five feet in as many years. The variety Sibirica is more compact in growth, and forms a perfect and shapely hedge, without any trimming whatever.

The most beautiful and graceful hedges are formed by the hemlock spruce (Abies Canadensis.) Although sometimes of slow growth after removal, yet it develops rapidly when once fairly established. Nothing can exceed the beauty of its pendant branches of delicate foliage; and no other plant will admit of shearing into so dense a wall of green as this. For a dividing line in the pleasure ground or flower garden it is most admirably suited.

When such beautiful, hardy evergreens as Cupressus Lawsoniana and Cupressus Nutkaensis become more plentiful, and can be procured in quantities at reasonable prices, they will be largely employed as hedge plants of the most select and choice kinds.

There is a great variety of deciduous plants well adapted for inside hedges, such as may be planted for protection of crops, or as ornamental dividing lines in gardens, but which will not be suitable as fences for stock; of these a few of the best may be mentioned:

The Buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus,) although of slender growth, forms a tolerably good hedge. It has a glossy and lively green foliage,

which it retains quite into winter, thus affording protection for a lengthened period.

A very beautiful hedge can be produced from the common English maple (Acer campestre.) This small tree is naturally compact in its habit of growth, and requires very little pruning to keep it in form. For a shelter belt, when a smoothly-trimmed hedge may not be desired, this will be found suitable. It has small foliage, and the whole plant is eminently neat, hardy, and free from insects.

The European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) is a good hedge plant. It has a very dense foliage, and the small ovate leaves are closely set on the branches. It is rather slow in growth, but, in consequence of not requiring to be shortened by pruning, as is the case with luxuriant growing plants, the growth is economized and a hedge soon formed. In ancient gardening, when topiary work was fashionable and plants were trained and pruned into forms of birds, vases, &c., the hornbeam was largely used and held in high esteem.

A pleasing variety of color may be introduced by forming a hedge of the purple-leaved berberry (Berberis vulgaris, var. purpurea.) This plant persistently retains its color throughout the summer, and with care can be kept in good shape as a hedge.

For rapid growth, easy propagation, and ample foliage of shining deep-green color, there is no plant superior to the Japan privet (Ligustrum Japonicum.) This must not be confounded with the common privet, (Ligustrum vulgare,) a small-leaved and much inferior plant. Cuttings of the Japan privet may be inserted at once where the hedge is to be formed. They will root quite as speedily as the easiest rooting willow twig. A splendid shelter or screen, eight feet in height and four feet in width, has been grown in five years from the time of inserting the cuttings. It is almost an evergreen, retaining its foliage even after severe frost. Twenty degrees of frost, in December, has no effect on the foliage, and for at least nine months of the year it is clothed with the richest verdure.

For sheltering orchards, vineyards, or fields, a free-growing plant, of compact habit, should be selected. Such are the Osage orange, white birch, English bird-cherry, honey locust, English maple, European larch, English alder, many of the willows, and the Lombardy poplar. Any of these will, in a few years, afford an efficient shelter. They may be planted from four to six feet apart, and allowed to take their natural habit of growth until they reach a height of ten or fifteen feet. If the tops are then removed or checked, so as to repress upward elongation, they will spread and interlace their lower branches, forming a thick shelter, without the trim, formal appearance of a regularly cut hedge.

It may be safely asserted that no lengthened period of uniform success in fruit culture can be realized in exposed situations, unless a systematic plan of sheltering by belts or hedge rows is introduced; and the time is fast approaching when no person will think of planting fruit trees, or raising fine fruits of any kind, without first preparing for them a thoroughly protected situation.

PECULIARITIES AND ADAPTATION OF TREES.

Trees for street planting.-The silver maple (Acer dasycarpum) has always been held in high repute as a shade tree; and although from its frequent use it has, in some sections, come to be considered as a common tree, its selection for this purpose is very appropriate. It possesses, in a high degree, the qualities usually sought for by those in treeless local

ities, being of rapid growth, easily transplanted, perfectly hardy, of an upright rather than a spreading habit of growth, and having foliage not so dense as to impede a free circulation of air, a commendable quality, since a partial shade is more desirable near a building than an impenetrable mass of foliage, which retards evaporation and creates dampness. It is, moreover, a healthy tree, not subject to diseases; neither is it peculiarly preyed upon by insects. It also grows rapidly from the seed. The fruit ripens in June; and, if planted immediately, will produce, in good soil, plants two or three feet in height the same year; neither is it liable to produce suckers, an objectionable tendency peculiar to some free-growing trees.

The sugar maple (Acer saccharinum) is one of the most beautiful of all the maples; indeed, few trees of any species can equal it in stateliness and graceful habit; and if to the oak is given the honor of being the king of the forest, we may claim for the sugar maple the title of the queen. No other tree supports an equally massive head of foliage by so slender a stem. It is more compact in its growth than the preceding species, with a greater density of foliage; but its crowning beauty is the superb coloring of the leaves in autumn. For promenades or street planting, it is one of the most desirable of ornamental trees. Large trees are impatient of removal; therefore small-sized plants are to be preferred for transplanting.

The black sugar maple (Acer saccharinum, var. nigrum) is in no way inferior to the preceding. The foliage is somewhat larger, and slightly downy beneath, changing to deep orange color in autumn.

The American lime or linden (Tilia Americana) is a lofty-growing tree, well adapted to planting wide avenues, where it will have ample room to spread. It does not thrive well in crowded cities, being more healthy in suburban localities. It is easily transplanted, and makes rapid growth in loamy soils.

The English linden (Tilia Europaa) is a conical-shaped tree, and therefore well fitted for street shade. The flowers are very sweet and attractive to insects, and it has been recommended as a tree of interest to bee keepers. This species of linden is, in some localities, subject to the attacks of borers; but, notwithstanding this objection, many fine specimens may be seen in cities.

The American elm (Ulmus Americana) has been in high repute as a street tree; but its liability to injury from insects, which destroy the foliage during summer, greatly diminishes its value, and it is not now so generally planted as formerly. The European elm (Ulmus campestris) is more upright in growth than the preceding, but neither of them can be recommended except for wide avenues and localities where they are exempt from the leaf insect.

The English ash (Fraxinus excelsior) of all the fine trees of this family, is the best fitted for street planting. In very poor soils it forms a rounded head; but in those which are rather wet than dry it becomes erect and grows with considerable rapidity. It is easily transplanted, and retains its foliage until very late in autumn, but is among the latest to put forth in spring.

The tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) may be claimed to be one of the most unique and beautiful of deciduous trees. It is not surpassed in the beauty of its foliage and flowers, in the columnar massiveness and elegance of its stem, or the general symmetry of its development. In good soil it makes a very rapid growth, as much so as the silver maple; but it is rather difficult to transplant successfully. To insure success it should be prepared by frequent removal while young, so as to secure a

mass of fibrous roots near the stem; or it may be planted in the place desired for its permanent location while very small. In either case it is advisable to prune the branches close back at the time of removal. In transplanting trees from ten to twelve feet or more in height, which have not undergone removal from the seed rows, the only safe mode is to cut off the entire stem near the surface of the ground, lifting the roots with care. Trees treated in this manner have grown to a height of ten feet in four years after removal. When cut down as directed above, a great many shoots will proceed from the base. The most promising of these should be selected as the future stem, the others being cut away. This fine tree is not injured by insects. The foliage is of a bright green during summer, changing to a bright yellow in autumn.

In planting a line of trees in a street or an avenue only one variety should be used. A mixture of kinds in such positions is as much at variance with good taste as the mixture of orders in the columns of a building. As taste improves we may expect to see planting as much under the control of city authorities as the setting of curbstones and the paving of sidewalks are at the present time.

Round-headed trees.-Trees of this form are well adapted to planting private avenues, and short entrance roads through the usually limited lawns of suburban ornamental grounds, combining utility of shade with beauty of development. As single specimens also on lawns, where they will have ample space for growth, their individual features and characteristics will be shown to advantage.

The Norway maple (Acer platanoides) forms an extremely dense mass of foliage, of a very dark green during summer, changing to yellow in autumn. The racemes of flowers are ornamental, but should be removed from young trees newly transplanted, as their growth is greatly retarded when the flowers are allowed to remain. The effect of removal frequently throws the plant into a fruiting state. The Norway maple is not of rapid growth, but its compact habit renders it very desirable for planting on small-sized lawns, or for shading walks in the pleasure garden. The red maple (Acer rubrum) is a well-known tree of great beauty, conspicuous for early flowering, enlivening the forest with scarlet and crimson blossoms at the earliest approach of spring. In the fall the leaves change to a bright scarlet, forming a pleasing contrast with the prevailing yellow colors in forest scenery at that season. On account of its not rooting very freely when it is large, small plants should be selected; and, even with these it will be advantageous to prune back the branches closely at the time of removal.

The white ash (Fraxinus Americana) is a native species, and forms a noble looking tree, in general appearance resembling the white oak. As an isolated specimen, in rich soils it assumes a symmetrical though not a formal outline. To attain perfection it must not be crowded by other plants; this precaution, however, is applicable to all trees, when their individual habits and natural outline of growth are to be developed.

Yellow wood (Cladrastis tinctoria) is a western tree, not much planted in ornamental collections, although few plants are more attractive or so deserving of attention. It is one of the most unique trees for neatlyplanted lawns of moderate extent. One of its most striking peculiarities is the regularly shaped protuberance formed at the point of junction of the branches with the main stem. The leaves are pinnated, and change to yellow in autumn. The flowers are shaped like those of the pea, of a yellowish color, and in general aspect resembling the yellow locust.

The horse-chestnut (Esculus Hippocastanum) is a tree with heavy foli