Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-03-10
9QritnIturaI.
Short and Practical Treatise
ON rHe PROPAGATION OF THE
Usage ORANGE PLANT,
And tho Cultivation and Treat
ment ofths Hedge
WRITTEN FOR THE LOUISVILLE JoUI

II
procure genuine and sound seed. The
seeds Of the Usage Orange are enveloped
singly In the tough and iibrous substance
composing the fruit or ball. Extracting
the seed without injuring their vitality
is a slew and tedious process. In order
TO do il with greater facility, many I'M
principled persons have resorted TO scald-
ing or to a high fsimenting process,
which entirely destroys the terminating
principle Of the seed
The seed Of the Usage Orange re-
quires high temperature to induce veg
citation, and hence they should not be
planted until the warm weather of spring
is established, say about the first to the
tenth of May. About two weeks before
planting, the seeds should be placed 10
soak and remain i'm the water for three
days. Not more than two quarts should
be put in the same vessel. Turn the
water off and cover the seed with cloth
and place them in warm room and stir
them daily. They should be kept suffi-
GENTLY moist 10 induce vegetation
Should the weather prove favorable, the
vessels containing the seed may be plum
gcd into a hot bed, where they will
sprout more speedily. As soon as the
germs appear they should be planted.
The ground selected for the seed beds
should be rich and should be plowed deep
and thoroughly pulverised and finely ra-
ked- Lay the ground off in drills one
zach deep, wide enough to admit the
passage Of the cultivator. The seeds
should be dropped about half an inch
apart In the rows, and they should be
covered by drawing the fine earth from
each side with both hands, forming
ridge one inch high. Ia six or eight
days, II the season be favorable, the
young plants will begin TO break the
ground The ridge should then be re-
moved with fine rake. This method
leaves the row clean and mellow, and
gives the young plants good start OF
the weeds and greatly lessons the labor
Of the first hoeing. The plants should
be well cultivated throughout the sea-
son.
The hedge row should be plowed at
least ten or twelve inches deep and eight
or ten feet wide, In the fall; or. II the
land il new, IL would be we'll to cultivate
crop Of corn or potatoes en- IL the year
previous. II poor ridges occur In the
row, they should be we'll trenched and
MANFRED, to insure uniformity in the
growth ofthe hedge.
In the spring, just previous to setting
the plants, the row should again be plow.
ed and we'll harro we'd. The plants may
be lifted from the seed beds with facility
by two persons with spades, one ON each
side OF the row; care should be taken
not to mutilate the roots. Shorten ths
roots to about eight or nine inches in
length and the tops to within one inch
OF the root.
Stretch line where the hedge Is to
stand. Assert the plants, and set those
Of uniform size together. In setting
the plants, run long spade perpendi C.
uIarly by the line to the depth of the
root, making an opening ,cithoR remov-
ing the earth; withdraw the spade, and
insert the plant full as low as il grew in
the seed bed. Press the earth 10 the
root by entering the spade again Just
back OF the plant, pressing the earth
forward. Set the plants in this manner
ten or twelve inches apart, according To
the strength of the soil in a single row
After setting, the ground should be firm
w trod on each side of the plants ant
again level.ed off. In order to secur,
the advantage Of the requisite light ant
a FREQ circulation Of air, and to leav,
room for thorough cultivation, the hedge
should never be planted within six Of
eight feet Of any fence. The row shouls
be kept free from weeds, and be thor
oughly cultivated during the season.
One great error has been committed
by nlne-tenths OF the persons who hay,
attempted to grow the Usage hedge, an,
that il, they have been too impatient &c
complete the hedge before they had So
cured foundation on which to base IL
A hedge sufficiently firm and compact
at the bottom cannot Be gropa pithou
severe and repeated cutting back, in orde'
TO insure strength to the lower aud lat.
teral branches. This must be neither
neglected nor delayed beyond the prop
or time, or all the previous LABOR will b
lost. The season the plants are set Ia
the row thcy will require no regular pru
ming, but, should any OF the plants, as
sumo too vigorous upright growth, they
should be checked by cropping their top
with long knife. This can be done
as fast as man can walk. The sprin.
after the plants have been set, the]
should be cut of TO within three or tou,
inches Of the ground. In cutting offths
tops at the time of setting, each plan
has produced three or four shoots. Tn,
second cutting will cause them TO mul
tiply 10 six or eight, nearly filling th'
spaces between the plants.
Cultivation must be continued tn
second year as before. About tho mi d
die OF June. or when the plants appe a
to be making the most vigorous growth
they must be again shortened back 4
within three or four inches Of the LAS
cutting. In order TO give size an,
strength TO the lateral branches, an
secure close aud compact base to III
hedge, these summer prunings must no
be delayed. Continue to repeat IN
spring and summer prunings until III
fourth or Gffh year, cutting of the sid
and bottom branches so rs to form tn
hedge about three feet wide at the bot
tom, gradually narrowing toward tn
top, to about four or five feet In height
when Il will be sufficiently formidable I
turn any stock upon the farm, and 8
close at the bottom as TO render II diff
c1lt Tor arabbitto pass through Il. Tn
experience OF the hcdger BY this ii m
mustsuggest the subsequent treatment
For trimming the hedge, commo
hemp hook with long handle, aud III
hedging shears will be found the mo
convenient impleme nts.