The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1866-03-03
Usage Orange, for Hedging.

Usage orange
Sow1EG THE SEED.-Prepare the ground
thoroughly. by blowing or spading, and
pulverize it finely with the harrow or rake.
The seeds should be sown In the fall, ell
Their in October or Novemb er, in drills,
eighteen or twenty inches apart, with twelve
good seeds to the foot in the drills. They
. may, however, be sown in the spring, but
the seed must be soaked at time of planting.
To soak, put them in close vessel, and
cover with hot water, but not boiling. Let
them remain about one week, changing the
wafer occasionally, to prevent fermentation;
. after which, mix with sandj and place them
in shallow boxes, until they sprout, when
they will be ready for planting in the drills,
as recommended above.
If the season should prove dry, they will
want watering freely. The young plants
usually make their appearance in two to six
weeks. depending on the quantity of rain
or watering they have had. In case weeds
grow freely, it will be absolutely necessary
10 hand weed the rows before the plants
will show thems elves, as they are very de-
icate aud tender, until they are three or
four inches high, hereby requiring careful
luuIture and clear entrance into light.
Notwithstanding a.! this, they VII become
rows will now require to be cleaned once or
twice month with cuIGvator and hoe, &c
cording to the weakness of the ground.
This course ought to be continued until the
plants are large enough to shade the ground
thereby keeping down the weeds. The
plants will make an average growth of three
feet the first season, while some will not
be foot, aud others will reach the exlraor-
binary height of six and seven feet, in rich
soil.
Some persons freeze the seed before plant
ing; this we consider entirely unnecessary,
in fact, useless, as good seed can be made
to vegetate in from ten to fifteen days, with
- out any such process. There are a little
over eleven thousand seeds in a quart, and
it is safe to suppose that quart will pro-
! duce at least FIVE thousand plants, if it is
properly managed. E-rr. .--
- MAKING THE HEDGE.-There seems to
be great diversity ofopinion as to the best
manner of setting plants for the hedge.
Some put double row, six inches apart,
q and the plants Que foot apart in the rows,
setting them alternately, but those who have
had the most experience, prefer he single
row, thus; +. The hedge is
@ more easily trimmed and trained to the prop
or shape. They should be placed the dis
lance of six to eight inches apart, they
will then lose their nature as a tree, and
become healthy, vigorous shrub. The
experience of some, however, has led them
to adopt the plan of setting exactly seven
and one fifth inches apart, or twenty seven
plants to the rod, which will require just
eight thousand eight hundred plants per
mile.
Before the plants are set in the hedge,
. tbax, should ba bank 70 within in oh
of the ground so as to be only this height
when the setting is completed. In order
to make thick base, it will be necessary
to cut back the first three years growth,
leaving from eig hit 10 twelve inches only of
that seasons growth This course must
be pursued every spring until the hedge is
q of the desired height and form. We can
give no better ending to our remarks than
to give A. J. Downing's description of a
q hedge, taken from his valuable work, "The
. Horticulturist
Gas protection to the choicer products
of the soil, which tempt the spoiler of the
orchard and the garden, nothing is SO eff
Gent as good hedge. 1t is like an inn
prsgnable fortress, neither to be scaled,
broken through nor climbed over. Fowls
q will not fly over it, because they fear to
light upon its top, and men and beasts are
not likely to make more than one attempt
to force its green walls. It shows fair
aud leafy shield to its antagonist, but it has
thousands of concealed arrows ready al tie
moment of assault, and there are few crea-
lures, however bold, who care 10 come to
the scratch twice with such foe Indeed,
a well made and perfect thorn hedge is SO
that bird cannot fly through it."