Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-04-22
FkEI1afI FENCES

would otherwise appear de ISOLATE and bafe
LOOK fhhrfnfhE'y Prtt Y md inviting. GUN,
II varsity Of shrubs and trees afs in9d- us
oE here for hedges, but those ~s uioSt I'D
m'red were tho holly. THIS 4. -onrwhl
different from The American Ii y ,-~,ts leave
being s~ariHga'ed with yellrw spots, ard /
hhs small thor1p, like oar Hsf opaca. pfotfu
ding rom their edgsa. II Is al evergreen
and adds greatly 70 the beauty ot he WtnteI
landscape. In front If The house, and aroina
The ornamental grounds and g%brterg, portions
Of The hedges hrs trained IN wiat IL ter,hae
fopiary work This represents any animal
a 'lt1sf for example, In b ferutnbapt post on
with b6ad and antlars erect ; a p~escocht win
rs tail wids spread n castles a fue,nef.
tlotiss, or SOME other ~fattastie p3dGe' wbit h
ibs rrry Htss often take upon themselves Il
laugh At az stiff and studied yet to ~ these
thtnRH have u great charm. for they seem q
tiarmonIze viii, The scenery and .be antigua.
i6d buildings around and We have often
paused 10 Contemplate his fancy "nflt 81 the
fus'jr hsdgs-clipper, "ith n vague, indeseri.
bable aat'sf elton, thinking, lslHps, the,
safue hand that guided the ltedgesshnara.
might, under more favorable tlfrpms, hpfrs
have won rsnown with the pencil Or cltIsel
iof II Is orr linmbf 10 clothe all things IN III.
len as t,oes lbls IN The beautiful, aui imaRinn
The iiInHfrious. In his tvag, wandering
along The world, ws have thealGd many y
dull hour Of it's tsjlousnesa aud melancholy.
Most to The holly We admired the gbrae
or fifza q sharp, prtckiy shrub. growing to
= height Of five teet ~ more. ard bsartng Il
yellow blossom, But the most common
hodge here Is tho hawthnrlt /, and ihie Upon
the whole IL perhaps tho BEST. We do Il /
think it, fol age equal 10 that d the maple
and other vsri fles Of tho ihorns # or "
country lis bIoefou,. however. ~ quito aF
pretty, and m3el, Ike il, and comes our about
the same period Of the year aF II, New. York
It's growth 10 moi near fo rapid ns our ow II
hawtbsfnH, nor IL II 40 suitable for oar Gil
mate. and when cultivated here m Il hedge,
has generally proved q failure,
The general method u growing hedges in
England Ia to Dig IA ditch along The line
where il 10 70 be planted, TOUT or five feet
wide, and two or three feet deep, and plant
the thorn pporLthe ctabanknept made by this
excavation knethod has Il double ad.
vantage for hN"hkes a good ditch. which, IL
highly necessary to assist in carving or the
surface water III this moist climate, and the
earth thrown up from il, forms and excellent
bed, with a double depth of soil on which 10
plant tho thorn and the fence thns grows
more rapidly and stronger than il ntlefwi se
would. The ditch and epbankrnent also add
10 the strength aud security Of tho fence
ira kfng II more difficult 10 got over.
Before setting Out Il hedge, the land along
the line Ia generally put under cultivation
the previous year., 80 ~ to Fet it mAllow and
in good tllth. a potato crop IL tho bes, pre-.
p~aration, and The quicks are usually oi The
second year'a growth, and taken up from a
bed where they are cultivated for this pr.
pose. They arc planted about six inches
apart, in double rows along The line, the
qalcks Of the second row being placed op-
posite the centre Of the space occupied Ivy
the frat. Sometifpea, when a sery sirpt Il
fence IS required, three rowe are planted; but
W are generally sufficient, and we have
seen quite good hedges formed from a single
row alone.
An important point in tho management Of
the hedge, is 10 keep it thick, especially near
the ground and IN order 10 effect this, it
must be crown broader at The base lhan the
top, 30 that every part may have thc bcntH',
III al equal degree, Of mDjsture, light, and
air. The best, thereto G, are trimmed every
year to a width Of five feet or 80 a, the bot
tom. and nearly sharp at the top, giving The
hedge the form, or both sides, Of The steep
roof Of a house. Yet they flourish very well
here trimmed in a rounded forM at the Top,
which is a more graceful shape for them Z
and we have frequently seeh a good strong
fence Of the hawthorn, growing up N a natu-
raj way, sever TO ten feet high, and still so
close at the bottom, az 70 be completely i'm
p~ervious to domestic animals above the size
Of a large rabbit. If we r~ecolIect right, when
thus loft 10 grow naturally, the quicks we're
planted closer together than when in double
rows.
IN those districts where stones hound,
they are much used for fences, and are laid
up 10 a handsoner and stronger manner than
We are accustomed 20 at home. We have
seen miles after miles Of them along Ire
highway, especfally such as enclose the parks,
pointed with as much ncatness as the mason's
work Of a house. The ugly zag-zag fences
which are SO ornrno in the United States,
are unknownhere neither isout rtore eighty
post and rail fence to be seen, timber being
TOO acarce and valuable for such purposes.
Posts and sawed stuff are ccts~ 4ienalIy found;
but what Is more common is to set posts
about eight feet apart, and ~IHortise the bars
into them, one at the top, and tie other near
The bottom, and to these nail thin slate, four
or five feet long, split out ii the same man
ner as we rive slaves, and put them OF per-
pendicularIy to the cross pieces. This makes
a close coed fence, and when wbitewashed.
with row Of trees planted along The line, it.
presents a very neat appearance. Clay walls,
built en- pist, are not sufficiently ccrrrpog IL
spaak OF in England, the Climate altogether
too moist for them TO endure long, as { GEN
efa1 rule.
The last method Ct fencing which We ahall
mention is eisbankrpents. There are laid Up,
slightly s'oping with Dirt about Jour fret
high, excavated from a ditch running along
the Line of the fence, and are then sodded up
their sides and on the top. This makes a
much better fence in a tenacious clay soil
'lan We could have SUPPOSED and the only
objection is, that the sod is very liable to
work OUT in squares, leaving the earth then
u trartbis down,- and he fence in continual
want Of repair. In a climate OF the severity
OF TIE winter Of our nor hern and middle
s'ates, a sod fence would not answer at all :;
for the frost would cause it 10 crumble badly
every spring upon being liberated from TIE
ground.
Some districts in England are only fenced
round the pasture portions of the farms, for
tie range Of the sock, leaving al! the rest
open to tiliage. OtsHr portions OF the coun-
try have no fences at all, except for yards
around the barns and sheds. The iock- and
herds are kept as on the continent, by herds
men ard shepherds with their dogs and The
animals being brought up to this mode of pas-
turing, are not urtuly at all, but gentle and
fractable, and are easily retained within their
limits with scarcely any trouble. When ~
first visited Europe Is years ago, sc were
convinced that this would be the best me- bod
to adopt in America. We have often won
Idarad hit ~ insalL;nan+ ga EIrh s.t=.t.l