The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1856-12-20
The osage Orange.

| A correspondent of the Post recent
tly asked for information with regard
to the cultivation of the Usage Orange.
which valuable subscriber in Texas
has been kind enough to furnish. We
subjoin his letter:
MARSHALL, Harrison eo.,l
Texas, Nov. 8, 1856.
| Dir. EDITOR II noticed in your
papers Of 11th and 18th of October,
request for some of your friends to
give directions how to cultivate the
Bois D'Arc, or Usage Orange. As I
see by the last date that no person has
given the required information, and as
live in the native land of the plant.
and am acquainted with its growth, I
will endeavor to give the manner of
raising q hedge here, as inteiligibly
as | can.
When our land is new and free from
grass, we throw from four to six fur
rows together, on the site of the
hedge, harrow fine-if not richly ma
nured-open two burrows on top of
ridge, eight to ten inches apart-or
wide enough to admit cultivation with
the hoe-and two or three inches deep,
sow the seed thin, and when up, thin
out SO as to have each plant six inches
apart in each drill, viz - !.
This is done, with us, in the month of
February. Farther north, later in the
spring would do.
Keep the plants clear of grass. The
next winter and spring cut them all
down to within four inches of the
ground; cultivate as before. Next
year cut within ten inches of the
ground. Third year cut within eigh-
teen inches. You then have hedge
that the smallest animal cannot get
through and each person may train
the top thereof to suit his own taste.
Sometimes the seeds are sown in
drills in a rich bed, cultivated one
year, then transplanted, and treated as
above. There is no danger of the
seeds rotting in the ground, as they
will remain year, and then come up.
If planted on low ground, ditch the
land, and plant on the mound thrown
up.
have never heard of but one in
stance of mice eating the plant, and
that was in Missouri. The snow was
between two and three feet deep, and
they girdled the head at the surface of
the snow, but as it was to be cut off
in the spring, no damage was done.
Yours, A. g. MARTIN.
| We may as well say in connection
with this subject, that the Cincinnati
Horticultural Society, having noticed
the report that Usage Orange hedges in
the vicinity of that city had been dam
aged by the preceding winter, lately
appointed a committee to investigate
the qualities and nature of the plant,
and that in their report appears letter
from William Nef, who, the commit
tee say, has given more attention to the
cultivation of the Orange than any
other man in Ohio. Mr.. Neff says:
sit is now eighteen years since this
subject first attracted my attention, and
since that time not year has passed
without my having planted more or
less. My first impressions were deci-
dedly favorable to it, above all other
plants. My experience since has more
and more confirmed this opinion. In
deed, I consider the Orange of incal-
culable value to our agricultural coun-
| try for fencing. The great distrust of
it for the purpose has arisen for the
want of knowledge, and neglect in its
cultivation. This has not been gene
raj, and | do not incline to relieve my
self from a full share. The greatest
mistake has been from setting the
plants too far apart. They ought to be
in a single row, and not more than
four inches apart. The advocates of
wider setting, from their respectability
and influence, are, in my opinion, do
ing a great injury, and 1 think that
further experience viii convince them
of their error.
"The last winter has done injury to
all the live fences, bnt / think they
will generally recover from it. It
was Of unparalleled severity, and we
may never see such another. see no
reason for discouraging its cultivation
from the effect of the severe winter
upon it, and I hope the Society will
not lend its influence in that direc-
ton"
1t sill be noticed that Mr.. Neff ad- |
yocates planting in single row, four
inches apart, while our Texas friend,
speaking from his experience, advises
a douHe row, the rows eight or ten
inches asunder, and the plants in each
row six inches from each other. No
doubt either method would prove sue
cessful, though the advantage would
appear to be with Mr. Martins, clo-
ser and more impenetrable hedge being
secured by his plan.-iSatErday EDea-
ing Post. /
7