The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-04-19
Usage Orange Hedges.

Usage Orange Hedges.
In the early history of this country,
whom the French from Canada were
making their explorations In the Missis-
sippi Valley, they found near . village
Of the Usage Indians tree grown the.
height of thirty or forty feet, the foliage
and fruit of which. 90 closely resembled
in appearance the orange that it has re-
ceiyed the popular name OF Usage
orange. The wood Of the tree has q fine
grain, is tough and very elastic, and was
used by the Indians for bows. iFromthis
fact It received the French name Bois
dare, which has been corrupted into
Bodsrk, by which name Is Is in some
sections now called. The tree belongs
70 the natural order of. Urticacee, and
was named by Nuttail, Machura Auran-
tiacia, in honor-of William Maclure, an
American geologist. o' It is, however,
generally known as the Usage orange.
Although this tree naturally grows to
good size, it bears cutting in exceeding
" well, which, to~ether with the fact
that its branches well-furnished with
strong thorns, iders it peculiarly
adapted for hedg.,s ), especially in the
Middle and Southc n States. It does not
succeed so well in higher latitudes, for,
while quite hardy after two or three
years growth, the young plants are
rather tender. $50.
This tree does not perfect its fruit un-
less male and female trees are growing
in the same neighborhood; but there IS
no difficulty in getting good seed from
perfect oranges, or purchasing from any
dealer in seeds. II there be any ques-
ton about the quality, It can be settled,
and always should be, by mixing them
with moist sand and putting them in
warm place. II good, they will sprout
in . few days; If not, they win become
soft and rotten. The seed win keep
year or two under proper conditions,
bot much that is worthless Is sold, and
it is always best to test 1t, as it is labor
and time lost to SOW unsound seeds, as
wei as q disappointment and aggrava-
ton. pc " n'17R ''l''i'
/ For hedges the seed is sometimes
sown in the rows where it Is TO remain;
but we think it is better to raise the
plants in beds and transplant them.
The beds should be prepared in fine, rich
mold, with great care, and the seeds
sown as early in spring as Is convenient;
they should be placed about two inches
below the surface, and two inches apart,
in drills sufficiently far apart to admit
of cultivation, as the young plants must
be carefully tended and all weeds kept
down during the summer. At one year
old, plants should be large enough to set
in . hedge In the meantime the place
where the hedge Is to be established
should be plowed several times during
the summer, the grass, weeds, and sods
killed out, and fertilizers applied. In
short, nice, rich, friable bed should be
prepared for the reception Of the plants.
The latter may be set in the fall or early
spring at the South, but in the more
northern States the spring is. the time,
The tops Of the plants should be cut of
to within six inches of the ground, both
because they viii then be more likely to
live, and because they will throw out
more branches. II there are any long
central roots, usually called tap roots,
these should be shortened, leay-
ing none over foot long.
When the plants are ready, pre-
pare the hedge bed by narrowing or.
otherwise leyeling 1t, and draw a line
along its center, by which dig out
modate the roots OF the plants, which
should be set ten inches apart, aud quite
as deep as or q little deeper than they
were In the seed bed. The rule
should be to set them so that when
the ground has settled, say in two
or three weeks, the plants would be
in the same relation to. the sur
face as in their original position. The
soil should be placed firmly about the
roots, and with such care that
every little root or fiber should
come, in contact with it When
the plants are small and have few
fibrous roots, they may be planted with
o dibble much more expeditiously than
with spade, but while we might com-
promise and consent to the use of the
trowel, we believe that the best results
can be obtained by the proper use of the
spade ftlx .ytrrlo - " r--
Many viii not like the trouble of rails
ing the plants fromfhe seed. and, in.
deed, in many cases it will be prefera-
BILE to buy them from nurserymen,
which can usually be done for S3 1or "a
per thousand, and in considerablequsn
titles for less. A thousand plants will
set more than fifty rods, and the cost of
making q bed and raising plants would
pay for q good many thousand, even IL
you are successful, which Is not always
the case, Beside, in buying them you
gain q year at least in time. Some have
tried raising plants from cuttings of
stems or roots, but this method is so un-
certain that we can not advise any to
try it. When the plants are well estsb-'
hshed, which they should be after one
years growth, they should be trimmed
in just enough to give them goodly
shape, but in after years they viii, in
consequence of their robust growth. re-
quire to be well cut into form in the
spring before the leaves start, and per-
haps receive q little trimming in during
the summer. -,y 20 .---s 4 T EEeE
Some have objected to the Usage
orange as a hedge plant because of its
tendency to sprout freely from the root.
While this occasions some labor in cut.
ting out such sprouts as come where
they are not wanted, those that come
within the limits of the hedge growth
serve to thicken and improve it. As an
ornamental tree the Usage orange has
its objections, in that its branches are
inclined to spread too widely to give it
an attractive form, but the bright, glossy
green of its foliage and the golden hue
of its fruit N q measure compensate for
this. By proper treatment it can be
trained into o very attractive bush, ten
or fifteen feet high. To do this, cut
strong growing plant back severely for
several years, which will cause it TO
throw out several leading shoots instead
of one. To do this successfully requires
several years of careful attention, but
the result win be ample compensation
therefor. You win have, If you choose,
gigantic bush, dome-shaped, beauti-
full in foliage, through which, in its sea-
son, will be seen an ample supply of
golden fruit, tempting to the sight, il
disappointing to the taste.-N. y. Sun.
lr1 -a Descending.