The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-01-17
q 9R I Gull Z WRA o
"'The tide of life, swift always in its course,
May run in cities with brisker force,
But no where with n current 80 serene,
Or half SO clear, in the rural scene.'
From The Patent Office Report.
1.-Two Fences.
GENERAL REMARKS on TIE FORMATION AM
TREATMENT 0E I1EncES


1.-Two Fences.
GENERAL REMARKS on TIE FORMATION AND
TREATMENT OF HEDGES.
In the formation of quickest hedge,
the main things to be considered are, the
nature of the land, whether wet or dry !;
the preparation of the ground what kinds
OF plants will thrive best in the soil, wl,eth-
er it be clay, loan, peat, gravel, Or sand !;
the nature of the soil whence the plants
are to be removed; the character of the
roots of the plants, whether they creep
near the surface or penetrate deep into the
earth; the age and size of the sets; and
the modes and seasons Of planting, pru-
ming, repairing, &c. If The land be low,
moist, or wet, it must either be ditchcd or
drained, or planted with willows or other
aquatic shrubs; if it be moderately moist
or dry, the plants may be set on the en-
bank'ncnt OF ditch, or on the plain sur
face of the ground, without ditch. Those
plants which are raised in a nursery are to
DC preferred to all others, and if produced
on spot near the place, it will be best.
AS general rule, the better the ground is
prepared the sooner the hedge will arrive
at maturity. and the longer will be its du-
ration. Again, the modes of planting and
pruning, as well as the soil, manure, silua-
ton, temperature, &c, should Lc varied to
suit the nature of the plant; and, on the
contrary, the plants should Le selected and
treated in reference to the condition of the
climate, situation, and soil. And in no
case should hedge bc formed where any
other Kind OF fence can bc made cheaper,
whether it be composed of iron, wood or
stone, always taking into account its dura-
blity, as we'll as its first cost.
In the management Of live fences of
every description, an important point to be
considered is, to keep them dense near
the ground, and as impervious as possible
to wind and animals; for which purpose
the transverse section Of the hedge should
be made broader at the base than at the
top, in order that the exterior leaves of the
plants may receive in an equal degree the
full influence Of light, air: and pcrpcndicu-
lar rains. But let it he remembered that,
notwithstanding it takes time to form Il
good hedge, it makes the cheapest fence in
the end, particularly in parts of the country
where other fencing materials are costly or
scarce. The ground occupied by hedge
on farm is not available either for grazing
or tillage, and the farmer, therefore, in for
ming his fences, where land is costly,
should be careful to have rs little land thus
occupied as possible The larger the en-
closures the less will be the waste of ground,
and straight fence will occupy less room
than one which is crooked. In the plough,
ing of field, moreover, there will be a
material saving Of time and labor, and the
work will he better done, if the fences are
straight; and if there is good length of
furrow, there will also be required fewer
turns of the team.
In respect to the training and general
culture of hedges, in general, it may be
observed that all such as arc liable to be
eaten by cattle must he fenced until the
plants are fully trained. For the first two
years, the hedges must be kept free of
weeds and if it is designed to train them
in proper form, close and neat, they must
be clipped both on the sides and tops, once
or twice year, but never less than once,
say from the last of June to the end of
August. They should always be clipped
into a conical or eliptical form, as the di-
minution Of the branches towards the top
increases the development of the plants at
the bottom, in consequence of the greater
elaboration of the sap in those parts and
the free admission of air, light. and rain.
| The following are few OF tho plants,
shrubs, &C., usually employed for hedging,
which we take from long list contained
in this article :l-ED. BANNER.
.ARBOR vIT.E-(7H oecielentalis)
! This species Of thuja, the only one DIS
covered in America, is particularly. valuable
for an evergreen hedge, not only on nc
count Of its hardness and wide geograph-
ical range, but from tile beauty of its foli-
age and compactness Of growth. which
render it well adapted to conceal unsigh,ly
objects, and as a shelter for gardens and
nursery grounds exposed TO chilling winds.
It bears the knife; well, and also the
| b. - - g. y. - e
shears.
The young shrubs may be planted alter
nately in two rows, from 20 to "a inches
apart on "a ridge ofaear,h slightly elevated
above the common level Of the ground 81
on an .embankment with one or. two Iliichoss.
fhs branches 0f one row will sptwiae them
selves with those Of The other and form a
thick tufted mass, which should Ebe con-
a.