Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1852-03-25
From the Trairie Farmer
EXPERIENCE WITH HEDGES.

EXPERIENCE WITH HEDGES.
MEssns. EDiToRs "A correspondent
ina late number enquiries: first, whether
the Usage Orange is not humbug ii il
viii stand our winter? and last, whether
it will answer for hedge plant? Now
will give you little Of my experience.
have got mile of hedge in all thrse
quarters Of Usage Orange, the rest divi-
'dsd equally between the White Thorn
and Honey Locust. The Thorn / gath
ersd on the bottoms, sowed in bed, and
at two years old set it one line trimmed
10 four inches, the next ten, the third
let grow 10 Eve feet, but il ought to have
been cut at three; but as it will stop any
thing you want fence for, it 10 not only
agood fence, but il is an ornament 10 any
place. Being of slow growth ! suppose
twill last tie longer. So. .. .a
Now for the Honey Locust. | planted
stand. !, promised fine for three or four
years when the gophirs took hold of il,
and in spite OF all my exrrtion they ruin
ed j, before ! could stop them. But am
cure that j, would make a good fence il
the gophirs could he kept from it, Without
loo much labor, as there has nothing clse
disturbed il, or either OF the other spe-
cies that ] have planted.
My Usage Orange ! sowed in bed. IL
Tows two feet apart, quite thick. put
the srod in n bucket and POURED warm
water upon them; changed the wafer e.
cry morning to prc,,It the acid from Kill
ling the germ; soaked four days; they
sseIe swelled about twice their commons
size when put them in the ground finely
prepared; they came up in seven days
and grew finely. ! kept them entirely
clean from weeds, and when one year old
/ set them in the fence. prepared the
row by blowing and narrowing well; 'hen
j began in the winter and threw five fur
rows together TO form ridge; in the cen
tire of tina. ridge ran a deep furrow, out
aud back for the plaid.. The ground
being in fine order pu, on my buckskin
a,ni,tsns, and with Lea,y sharp knife |
sctt them within four inches ofthe ground.
then with heavy spade, made at The
blscssEith's for the purpose Of making
fences, for have hand al that also, /
dug them up with ea,e, cut the lap roots
to eight inches put them in a basket,
and . small child handed them while with
. common trowel set them--working
backwards all The time, then person fol-
lowed with hoe, rounding up and stamp
ing down 10 make them stand fast. In
this way set three thousand, eight inch
Is apart, in very short time. Thirty
one only died. was prevented last year
from cutting as ought 10 have done except
. short piece. ! shall bend them down
next spring instead Of cutting TO make
them thick. They now stand about feet
high, and il is difficult matter to drive a
horse through them. ought 10 have
mentioned that The Usage Orange or Bod
ard as some call it, has stood three win
tiers on my farm without the least injury
BY frost.
Perhaps you will say that l nigh, ha, e
waited till proved the Usage as have
%hs White thorn. Well ! think have
proved these three things Of some conse-
9ucnce at least; they stand the winter,
bear hard trimming, are Of thrifty growth
and vesy tenacious Of life.
/ do not know that have proved 10
abe satisfaction of your correspondent,
that the Usage Orange is no humbug, and
IL not, il he will call at my farm. 3 miles
Sou4h of Marshall, Saline co.., Mo-, any
time next year, will then and there in
person, try to do that which have failed
TO do in this letter.