planter.

Even the graffes are offenfive, and fhould be extirpated, with all the care and attention neceffary in a feed bed or nursery.

NOR is it enough to defend the young plants from animal and vegetable intruders; the plants themselves muft, by judicious PRUNING, be taught how to grow, fo as to best answer the purpose for which they are intended.

THE Hawthorn is naturally a fhrubby plant, throwing out ftrong lateral fhoots, down clofe to the ground; more especially when planted by the fide of a ditch, which, by giving room, favors this propenfity. Thefe horizontal branches, of course, draw off their fhare of nourishment from the root; which nourishment would be better expended upon the more upright fhoots. They are, at the fame time, in the weeder's way, and, by ftraggling across the ditch, become a temptation to cattle. They fhould, therefore, from time to time, be ftruck off with a fharp instrument, either of the hook or the fabre kind.

IN performing this, one rule must be observed, invariably; that is, to leave the under fhoots the longeft, tapering the hedgeling upwards; being very careful, however, not to top the leading fhoots; for, by doing this, the upward tendency

of the hedge will be checked; and, while its face is kept pruned in the manner here described, there is no fear of its becoming thin at the bottom.

THUS far we have been speaking of the method of training the SINGLE HEDGE, whether of Crab or Hawthorn. In raifing the HOLLY, under either of these plants, a different kind of pruning is neceffary for, notwithstanding the Holly will struggle, in a furprizing manner, under the fhade and drip of other plants, yet the more air and head room it is allowed, the greater progress it will make. In this cafe, therefore, the deciduous plants fhould be pruned to fingle stems, in the nursery manner; for all that is required of these is strength and tallness; the Holly being a fufficient guard at the bottom.

THIS may be thought an endless business, by those who have not practifed it; but is it not equally endless to prune the young plants of a nurfery? And we here beg leave to remind the young planter, that if he does not pay that care and attention to his hedgelings, in every stage of the business, as he does to his nursery rows, he is a ftranger to his own intereft. The advantage of obtaining a live fence, on a certainty, in feven or eight years, compared with that of taking the chance of one, in fifteen or twenty, is fcarcely to be done

away by any expence whatever, bestowed upon planting and training it.

WE are, indeed, fo fully impreffed with this idea, that we believe every Gentleman would find his account in having even his fingle Hedges trained with naked stems, in order that they might the fooner arrive at the defirable ftate above de

fcribed, a range of living piles. We wish to be understood, however, that we throw this out as a hint to those who wish to excel in whatever they undertake, rather than to recommend it, as a practice, to Hedge planters in general.

NEVERTHELESS, we recommend, in general terms, and in the strongest manner, to keep the face of a young Hedge pruned, in the manner above defcribed or, if the plants be browzed by cattle, or otherwise become stinted and shrubby, to have them cut down, within a few inches of the ground; and by this and every other method promote, as much as poffible, their upward growth. It is fome time before a young Hedge becomes an abfolute fence, against resolute stock; and the shortest way of making it a blind, is, by encouraging its upward growth, to raise it high enough to prevent their looking over it; and, by trimming it on the fides, to endeavour to render it thick enough, to prevent their feeing through it; giving it

thereby

thereby the appearance, at least, of a perfect fence.

A HEDGE, pruned with naked stems, requires a different treatment, to perfect it as a fence. As. foon as the stems have acquired a sufficient statility, they should be cut off, hedge height; and, in `order to give additional stiffness, as well as to bring the live stakes into drill, fome ftrong dead stakes should be driven in, here and there. This done, the whole fhould be tightly eddered together, near As an adequate fence against horned

the top.

cattle, the stems are required to be of confiderable thickness; but as a fufficient reftraint to fheep only, strong plants may be thus treated, a few years after planting; especially thofe of the Crab bush. Upon a fheep farm, pruning the plants would be eligible, were it only for the purpose of getting their heads out of the way of their most dangerous enemies.

SECTION THE FIFTH.

MANAGEMENT OF GROWN HEDGEROWS.

I. MANAGEMENT of the HEDGE. There is one general rule to be obferved, in this business; -cut often: for the countryman's maxim is a good one" Cut thorns and have thorns."

THE proper length of time between the cuttings depends upon the plant, the foil, and other circumstances: eight or ten years may be taken as the medium age, at which the Hawthorn is cut in moft countries.

IN Norfolk, however, the Hedges are feldom cut under twelve to fifteen years; and are sometimes fuffered to run twenty and even thirty years, without cutting! The confequence is, the stronger plants have, by that time, arrived at a tree-like fize, while the underlings are overgrown and fuffocated the number of ftems are reduced in proportion, and, at that age, it is hazardous to fell the few which remain.

IN Surrey and Kent, feven or eight years old is the usual age at which the Farmers cut down their Quickfet Hedges and, in Yorkshire, they are frequently cut fo young as five or fix. This may be one reason of the excellency of the Yorkshire Hedges; for, under this course of treatment, every stem, whether strong or weak, has a fair chance; the weak ones are enabled to withstand fo fhort a struggle, while the large ones are rather invigo rated, than checked, by fuch timely cropping.

For a remarkable infance of this, fee MID. ECON. Vol. II. p. 383.