Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1842-02-18
From the Union Agricultural.
DTTCHINC AND HEDGING.~

OxYCH1NO AMI "A ESA><SANs 80
BERL1r, ILL.,. Nov. IL, 1871.
DeAn SrR:-I think that Providence could
never have created section Of country, and
better adapted TO the wants Of the farmer,
than IS this Western prairie country, unless Ire
had built houses and fenced farms. 1t certain
II is no longer question to be asked: can we
get along with so little timber! The matter
IS settled with me; and think any one, look
ing at the same state of facts will give up the
point at once. Had good timber within two
miles Of my prairie, l say would never haul
rails to make farm as long as could make
fence so much easier and cheaper by hedging
and ditching. / inclosed, last spring, 20 a.
cres with ditch and cmbankment which pro-
misses well SO far, and for cheapness Will
turn it agains, any other mode that can be de-
vised. commenced werk with three hands
about the middle of April, all Of US perfectly
fresh hands, had never done anything OF the
like. nor seen it done. soon found that we
could make our four rods day to each hand
easy, twelve rods psr day 10 ALL and we put
il up in good style; ditch four feet at top, one
foot at bottom and three and half feet deep,
and eighteen inches on top well sodded up on
both sides with sod cut TO fit. We continued
on at that rate until we finished. Gas having
tasked ourselves at twelve rods per day at the
start y but soon found we could do 1t long be-
fore night. Indeed believe / can make SIX
rods in day of the above descriptions The
hands cost me fifty cents per day, SC you can
readily perceive what my fence cost me.
To make the Ditch.-My plan Of operating
was this: set two rows Of stakes four feet
apart eacl, to make the different lines OF the
ditch. Six and half feet from the inside row
of stakes set third row TO make the inside
e. IL. r.. A.
bou: nine inches on each side not to be covered
by the embankment. then take my sod-cat-
ter, Gan instrument by the way Of my own in
vention, and which resembles the old fashion
ed bar-share prairie plough with no mould
doard, and with a good cutter; and, with
good team, this is made to pass up the outside
line of the ditch, cutting the sod off at the edge
and bottom. and in this way cut all the sod of
the top Of the ditch four feet wide; and also on
| the inside Of the third row of stakes cut four
| feet of sod in like manner, leaving them from
six to ten inches wide. and from five TO eight
inches thick, and left lying precisely as it
grew. then pass along with spade. and
CIT the sod off the other way. nblocks of from
| 10 to Il inches in length. The sod is then ea-
silly removed off from the top of the ditch
Y GU will then see we have our ditch already
eight inches deep, in only removing the sod
place the inside row Of the sod on the outside
line. of the embankment, nine inches from the
inside line of the ditch, fiat down with the
grass side up, and the same also on the other
side of the embankment. then throw out the
dirt from the ditch, putting up the sod on Ell
ther side, (grass side out,) as the embankment
filled. When done it makes very pretty
fence; and one too which stock will dread to
approach. think maybe, it would be better
to make the ditch five feet at the top and four
feet deep, and then all would be safe. This
fence, am sure, will, under ordinary circum-
stances, last some eight or ten years, and turn
stock; in which time the very best kind Of
hedge may be raised. And as TO the
Material for Hedging, the matter is settled
with me. have sought all the information on
the subject that was come-at.a-be for the last
twelve months, and have come to the conclu-
is the best) is not only the safest, but the best
Of hedging materials. One says the cotton
wood will do; another the honey-locust; and
the fourth says black walnut or black locust.
But they are all forest trees and must be dealt
with as such. / have TO doubt, from my own
experience, as we'll as the experience of others,
that something very much like hedge might
be grown from any of the above-named varie-
ties; but never to make perfect hedge. The
fact is, if failure should happen with the for
est tree, the thing is out; but with the thorn
there is no question at all; and that we have
the very best varieties in our country, and
plenty too, no practical hedgers attempt to
doubt. l say, then, we will make ditch and
embankment, and commence forthwith with
the hedge; and IN short time we have the
best and prettest fence, and most durable of
any in the world, no mistake J and if itdoes
take two years more to make good thorn
hedge, say it will be saving eventually,
and ten to one in favor of the thorn.
am making some experiments with haws,
gathered together this fall for the purpose of
hedging; and, if succeed. shall be glad to
find any one who will be willing to profit by
my experience.
Before closing this letter, wish to make
one calculation in respect to my arrangement
in farming, viz:
For cash paid for SO acres ofprairie,
at 50 per acre, 500 90
800 rods fegce, at Is per rod 60 90
IS breakins, at So per acre 100 90
6 corn and planting u 90
$272 90
When in ordinary seasons it will pro-
4,o "a ~ z