Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-11-16
mo- MAKE unptES fnom rnErs,

are superior To any OF the materl-
ais Of which foreign hedges arel
made. Iallude TO the Usage or.
ange and honey locust. The for
mer has proved an invaluable
boon to the farmers Of Illinois
and the prairie-lands generally,
where timber is very scarce and
in England, just now, its intro
duction there is exciting univer-
sal attention.
In starting to make a hedge
Of either Of these, it must not be
forgotten that they are, both Of
them, naturally frcrs and as we
want them to become shrubs
when in the condition of a hedge,
we have TO resort tovery peculiar
treatment to make them alter
their nature. The object is to
check their tree-growing, upright
tendency, and to make them
dwarf and bushy. Now one Of
the very worst modes Of etiecting
this, is to give them severe win
ter prunings, and little orno at
tention in the summer season.--
Yet this is the universal practice
with those whom | know to have
tried them. At the time of plan
ting, the plant are cut to within
six or nine inches Of the ground,
and every succeeding winter, for
three or four successive years, cut
nearly back towhere they sprout-
ed from. They generally get Il
shearing in August, after the
grain is cut--not sooner; few
weeds are taken out once a year,
and that is their course Of treat
ment.
An experienced Psychologist
will at once perceive that this
practice will never make a good
hedge out Of subjects naturally
trees but this is not 50 apparent
to the "uninitiated.' To them it
seems one Of the most natural
things in the world, that to make
anything bushy, all that is to be
done is to head it down. But
thisis only true under certain con-
dItions.
The first object with hedge
trees is to make them shrubs,
which must be done by some Of
the known principles of dwarfng-
There are three recognised modes
Of dwarfng trees, namely, ring
ing, root-pruning, and summer
pruning,-the two former being
limpracticable in such an extern
sive affair as hedging, the last
mode being the only available
one to this purpose. Summer
pruning has a remarkable effect
on trees, the exact reverse oil
pruning in wiuter. If a tree is
cut down Immediately after the
fall Of the leaf, the next season it
pushes forward with renewed Wig
or, determined, as itwere, more
than ever, to be the tree nature
designed it, So great is this
power given to it by winter prun-
ing, that, ifa few successive years
Of this system were persevered in,
without any counteractinG influ-
ence from summer pruning, what
few side branches the stump had
made would be entirely destroyed,
and nothing would remain but a
dense mass OF erect, strong grow
! ing shoots. On the other hand,
cutting off the shoots Of the trees
Immediately after they have put
farth in the spring, so weakens
them, that, in a few years, they
would die outright.
1t is obvious, that to make a
good live fence out Of trees-that
is, to make them become good
shrubs, with a uniform growth
both at the sides and top-some
: discrimination is necessary i pru.
ming. The strong growing cen
! trail shoots only, should be cut of
in summer, and this, too, before il
has completed its summers
growth; the sides should be en-
} couraged to make the stronges
growth possible; which is to be at
tanned by pruning in the winter
and then only.
lfthese principles were duly re
cognized. live hedges would cos
but half the expense they now do
because, though they would hav,
to be gone over twice a year
they would, in fact, receive bu
one complete pruning.
conceive that in offering thes,
J remarks in your journal, / shall b.
rendering a service to agriculture
by bringing the subject before tn
: thinking portion Of the communi
; ty, from whom the most substan
tial knowledge is dispensed to on
! much abused tillers Of the soil.-
> Cdr. ofMe Florist.
nj To PRESERVE A BoQuEr--A horis