PREPARING GROUND FOR SETTING OUT HEDGES.

Sod ground, designed for hedge sites, should be plowed six or seven inches deep, as early as the grass grows freely, in May, the year preced ing the planting of the quicks. As soon as the sod is well rotted, drag and plow as many times as may be required thoroughly to pulverize the soil, and reduce it to such a condition of tilth as would be suitable for planting corn on old ground, the strip of ground so treated being at least six yards in width. This should be done either in September or early in October; not later, as the important and necessary operation of ridging up the ground, as a foundation for a successful hedge, is required to be performed before severe freezing weather. The safest course is to ridge before the 10th of November.

The necessity for ridging arises from the generally observed fact, that the natural drainage of the larger portion of the vast prairies is poor and ineffective, the soil in many localities being so overcharged with moisture, particularly in rainy seasons, as to materially check the growth of farm crops; and, as is well understood, the yield of corn and small grain is much reduced from this cause. The same is true of considerable districts of several of the better timbered States, where other fencing material is growing scarce.

The width of ground plowed should not be less than eighteen or twenty feet, as a narrow space may cause considerable inconvenience, where the adjoining land is sod or in grass. The height of the ridges should be as great as can be made by twice plowing, or gathering up the soil. In spongy or low, wet places, three gatherings with the plow will not raise the ridge too high. The soil having been well pulverized before ridging, may be harrowed once with a coarse harrow; but it need, not be made smooth, as a harrowing just before plowing the furrow trenches, the succeeding spring, will be necessary to freshen and mellow the mold before other work is commenced. Among the advantages of ridging may be named the following:

First. The Osage quicks will be more likely to escape winter-killing, the exemption being due to the fact that the roots are above the level of saturation.

Second. Operations can be commenced and completed from ten days to two weeks earlier, in all localities where the natural drainage is inef ficient, and Osage thorns can be set before the buds open.

Third. The roots of young quicks will strike down obliquely in ridged ground, instead of extending out horizontally just beneath the surface soil, and attain a growth corresponding with the increase of available soil.

Fourth. The young plants make a more uniform growth when ridged, in consequence of the more uniform condition of the soil as to moisture, and will generally be exempt from the gaps and thin places, resulting from partial winter-killing.

Fifth. When a ridge is properly prepared for thorn quieks, the roots of the hedge-row will form a more fibrous growth, which will be made chiefly in central parts of the ridge soil, instead of the roots growing long and straggling. If, in the course of years, however, straggling roots should be found to require pruning at a distance of eight or ten feet from the hedge-row, they will present less obstruction on a ridge than when grown upon level ground."

Sixth. When a hedge becomes strong enough to turn stock, it is desirable to check its growth, which can be done by cutting off the ends of the roots on the sides of the ridge with a pruning plow, or with a revolv

ing colter, without endangering the life of the thorns, the large amount. of root-growth in the deeper, central parts of the ridge being sufficient for the plant.

Seventh. A ridge eighteen to twenty-four inches above the level will add thirty to forty per cent. to the effective height of the hedge; and, in combination with the latter, will form a barrier that will turn stock, thus constituting an effective fence from one to two years sooner than when planted on low, level ground; and, at the same time, equally contributing toward the effectiveness of the hedge in its incidental capacity as a wind-break.

A plow colter, such as is used for cutting off the extremities of apple tree roots to induce early bearing, may serve a similar purpose in pruning hedge roots when extending beyond their prescribed limits.

Figure 1 represents a young, unlaid, double hedge-row, set in land. relatively low. Figure 2, a similar hedge, set in a ridge two feet above the level of the adjoining land. These sketches afford an illustration of the difference, in extent and character of root growth, between young hedges set on the deep soil of ridges specially made for them, and those set on level ground, with their roots near a wet subsoil, as seen in Figure 1.

TRIMMING OR DWARFING.

As in the case of shortening back to induce the growth of fruit spurs in the apple tree, the effect of trimming Osage thorn hedge is to cause some thickening at the bottom, but the growth is chiefly in the upper part of the branches, or in the emission of numerous small side shoots, or lateral branches. Inexperienced writers recommend this mode of training to produce thick-bottomed, permanent growth. Thick side growth may, for a limited time, result from such management; as repeated cutting back leaves the plants, in their struggle for existence, the only alternative of the slow, feeble, lateral growth, to be seen in hedges that are not allowed to extend their growth vertically. Lowtrained hedges may be necessary where land is limited in area, and high in price, as in case of gardens, small lawns, and other ornamental grounds; but in such situations plants of less vigorous growth than the Osage thorn would seem to be more suitable, for the reason that evergreen or shrubs may be formed, trimmed, and low-trained a long time. without pleaching. With the vigorously growing Osage thoin, how ever, the case is different. Various plans of training were adopted, such as cutting off each row of two-rowed hedges alternately, also cutting out alternate thorns close to the ground, to induce a thick growth of young wood in the lower portions of the hedge; but the result of such training was not sufficiently satisfactory to secure its continuance. Hedges formed thus, principally of vertically growing stems, were found quite weak in comparison with pleached fences, the latter proving to be much more effective for the purpose of a farm fence.

Within a few years past an aggregate of scores of miles of young Osage thorns in hedge-rows has been more or less injured by winterkilling on the lower lands of the west; and cutting back to force lateral growth and thickening at the bottom of the plants was probably the inciting cause of much of this great destruction and consequent disappointment.

In many of these instances the hedge rows were not well rooted, the subsoil, and even the upper soil, being too wet and cold to admit of either ample or well-ripened root growth. Well-ripened wood is as necessary for

roots as for branches, to enable them to withstand either severe freezing or severe trimming. But the general reason for the loss of these winterkilled Osage plants was succulent, spongy, and tender wood in root and branch; and it must continue to be so with hedge rows set at the level of undrained soils. The plants seem too have died of too much cutting and too much water in the soil.

As already intimated, trimmed hedges surely grow thin in the lower parts in a few years, however well this operation may be performed. Great care and good management may postpone the "self-thinning," by the inside, shaded, and weak bottom branches dying out; but these branches will as certainly die out as that the sap tends naturally to the top parts of the hedge, where there is more heat and light. The north side of a hedge, being the most shaded, will be likely to fail first in the lower parts, when, from the necessity of thickening the bottom part, and renewing the live growth from the ground, the labor and cost of laying hedges that have long been subjected to trimming will be found greatly to exceed the cost of laying untrimmed fences.

The objections to untrimmed hedges consist mainly in their shading more ground than when trained low; but this is chiefly the case on the north side of east and west fences, crops getting as much sunlight in about half the time, on the sides of north and south fences.

HEDGES AS A HARBOR FOR INSECTIVOROUS BIRDS.

One of the greatest advantages of growing hedges is the fact that they provide shelter for birds. In a general sense, most insects are the enemies of improved vegetation; and they also comprise the natural food of most birds, and do vastly more damage where the country is open and birds are few.

It is a significant fact, that in a number of districts in England, where many of the hedges have been grubbed up, the increase of destructive insects has become so great that it has been found necessary to take measures for the preservation of the birds, particularly the hedge sparrow.

RENEWAL OF OSAGE THORN HEDGES.

It has been established by experience in the British Islands, and to a limited extent in this country, that hedges sooner or later become so thinned at the bottom that renewed or young bottom growths are essential to maintain their efficiency as fences; and this necessity cannot be evaded in the case of the Osage thorn. The sap tends so much towards the top that the lower part will become thin by "self-pruning," which will be succeeded by holes and gaps. This result may be expected in both trimmed and untrimmed hedges. These gaps and holes may be temporarily mended, however, by inserting detached branches cut from thicker parts of the fence. Layering has been suggested; but in the shade and in dry soil, in which the layer must grow, if at all, their growth will be so slow as not to become available against animals in any reasonable length of time, and it is probable that but few layers would survive.

Osage thorn hedges may grow to a height of twelve to twenty feet before they require laying. Laying reduces the height of the fence twothirds or three-fourths, or more, causing the new growth to be made near the ground, and here, accordingly, multitudes of vigorous young saplings are sent up, growing up in like manner, at each successive laying.

THE STRENGTH OF TWO-ROW HEDGES WHEN PLEACHED.

Single-row hedges cannot well be renewed by laying without stakes. But double rows may not only be laid or pleached without stakes, but, when laid down in a proper manner, the hedges will constitute a very strong fence. Two-row hedges are believed to be much the best adapted to resist the stress of gales of wind, the attempts of rampant animals to break over them, and for any contingencies requiring great strength in a fence.

Figure 3 represents a section of the horizontal form of laying the brush of each of the rows backward and obliquely over to the opposite side. The stems of the thorns are pleached, one from each side or row, alternately, each sapling being brought down from the opposite side, and laid in such a manner that each stem crosses the last one laid, about midway of its length, and in the center between the hedge rows, the angle formed between the saplings and the ground being about thirty degrees. In illustration of the great strength of this form of two-rowed hedge, Figure 4 represents a vertical section of the same, which is five feet high above the ridge, and forms an almost impassable barrier against any farm stock.

SINGLE-ROW HEDGE NOT EFFICIENT UNLESS STAKED.

After special examination of one-row fence, in Illinois, both unlaid and such as is called laid, the conclusion is reached that neither neat nor efficient single-row hedge can be made without the aid of stakes; and it is stated that in the British Islands, stakes are always employed to give it stiffness, and hold it in line in pleaching. Specimens of the single-row Osage thorn that we saw had much the appearance of a line of brush with tops all outward, and butt-ends in the center. Such single-row fence spreads so wide, and settles to the ground so much, that it occupies even more space, as seen in Figure 5, while not possessing a third of the value, as a fence, that is required by a substantial two-row hedge; and the single-row fence-it cannot be correctly called hedgemust sag and settle toward the ground, if pleached without staking. We have examined some specimens in which there were live stakes, obtained by cutting off the tops, and leaving the lower of the thorn stems.

DISADVANTAGES OF LIVE STAKES.

Live stakes may save a portion of the time that should be devoted to preparing others, but the subsequent disadvantages resulting from their use will more than outweigh the trifling saving of time effected. A hedge becomes thin at the base of the growing stakes, the sap ascending and forming a spreading, stool-like form of growth, where the hedge is trimmed at the top of the stakes, instead of sending up shoots, as would be the case if the stake saplings were laid at the bottom to thicken it with young growth. Another defect is, that numbers of vigorous shoots spring from the crowns of the stakes, forming and maintaining a growth of shoots two or three feet in advance, and higher than the general height of the hedge. It is also necessary to cut live stakes off at the ground preparatory to relaying the hedges, which is not required when detached wood is used. Dead or detached stakes are always preferable to live ones; they serve two or three years before decaying, by which