Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-10-06
THE DAYTON HEDGE FENCE.
PARTY IssrEo1s II ygoS rHE rARn
OF COZ HILDRUP, AT HARRISBURG
The o;d style ana Modern Fence Compsrsd.
a Usse, ipuon of the Hedge Bain BY the
OHIO Conpssy- Lancaster Fssmess
ravorsbiy Impressed Win II.

fences than any other in the country, but
has 30 greatly improved the manner Of their
construction that their Usage orange and
barbed. wire fence looks no more like the
cid fashioned hedge fence than chalk looks
like cheese.
Mr.. A. r. Graham, the general agent Of
tie hedge company, organized company
of Lancaster county farmers and Others and
took them to Harrisburg to show them
specimen of the hedge and wire fence on
Col. Hildrup's handsome farm located q
mile or two outside of Harrisburg. Among
the party were b. ]. McGranu, Col. B.
Frank Eshleman, Emanuel Keller, Col. 8.
G. Slaymaker, Is. Ezra Herr, VIM. II. Bro
sius, Geo. w. Eaby, s. W. Altick, George
L. Buckwalter, and Walter Kieffer, repre-
senting the Ntp Era and J. NJ. Johnston
the INTELLIeESCER.
After RECALLING at the Russ house the
party took carriages and drove out to the
Hildrup farm, which is in an admirable
state Of cultivation and is beautified by
several hundred rods of hedge fence, grown
and trimmed under the old-fashioned
method, Some of the canes are as thick as
. mans arm they are six feet high and
spread at the top for distance of nearly
six feet and at various places along the
hedge are openings through which full
grown hog could pass. On the opposite
side of the road is a hedge, which until last
spring was of the same kind. After much
persuasion and with many misgivings as to
the result, Mr.. Hildrup gave permission to
the Dayton Hedge company to trim down
the hedge to little less than three feet in
height, and to cut off all the lateral
branches until there was nothing left Of 1t
but the canes, and they not occupying more
width than post and rail fence. Then every
one of the plants (Which were growing up
right) was bent over TO an angle of forty.
five degrees, and securely held in that posi-
tion by four rows of barbed wire, the lower
one being near the ground, the upper one
near the top of the fence, and the others
between those. These barbed wires are
securely held in place by small staples,
driven at short intervals into the growing
canes. After one years growth these
wires can hardly be seen, so completely arc
they embedded in the middle of the fence.
STRENGTH OF THE FENCES.
The visitors were given an opportunity
to test the strength of the fence, and the
strongest man among them could not make
the slightest impression against it. A bull
cyDlone could not injure it. Then it will
last for hundred years and be getting
better and better every year.
Mr.. Hidrup has about bunred and
twenty rods of his hedges renewed under
the Dayton system, and will, of course,
have all of his old hedges renewedji lin the
same manner as rapidly as possible.
The reader will understand that the man.
ner of treating an old hedge like Mr.. Hill
drup's and planting new one Is very
different and that the new hedge, which
requires growth of four years, makes a
more regular and beautiful fence. The
Il r~fx xbop oina nd bo
growth uniform.
Following are the rules given for pre-
pairing the grounds and setting new fence
HOW THE HEDGE Is SET.
Clear the row of all Observation-Disclosures,
stones, logs, too close overshading trees,
roots. &c.-and plow the ground and pre-
pare 1t for planting the hedge as soon as
the frost is out and 1t is sufficiently dry.
Where the ground is well drained and
you have plenty of room, 1t should be pIe-
pared as follows:
First. Determine just where you want
your line of hedge to stand.
Second. Plow a strip of ground fully six
feet wide, blowing deeply and turning the
furrows Outndrd, SO as to leave deep,
open furrow in the middle, just where the
line of hedge is to stand. This plowing may
be done with advantage in the fall, or dur
ing the winter if the frost should be out so
that it can be done.
Third. Put good quantity of well rot
ted manure in this open furrow and mix
is not good, rich and strong. Some pre-
pared fertilizer may be used instead of
manure If more convenient.
F6urth.--Plow this strip second time,
this time turning the furrOws inudrd,
80 as to cover the manure deeply. This
plowing should be done in the spring.
Fifth. Harrow this strip thoroughly,
breaking up all clods and leveling it well
down on the top, and if the weather should
be dry, it will be better for being rolled
either before or after the planting, or per-
haps both before and after planting.
Silth. Set stakes at the ends of each
stakes should be set sufficient to insure tnat
the hedge shall be planted just where 1t is
wanted.
Where the ground is not well drained the
plowing should be done deeply, but all one
way, SO as to avoid the open furrow or
basin where the hedge it to be planted, and
where the hedge is to be planted SO close to
fence, or where ground is SO scarce that
it cannot be prepared as above directed,
the blowing may be done all one way, or
the row may be spaded up. But in all
cases it should be done deeply and thor
oughly. All poor or weak places should
be manured or otherwise fertilized, and all
surface water should be drained OFF.
This matter should have careful atten-
tion, as the success of the hedge depends
very largely on the careful preparation of
the row before 1t is planted. The planting
season commences as soon as the ground Is
In proper condition to work in the spring.
THE COMMON METHOD.
The most common way of planting is TO
get the young plants from the nurseries
and set them with long narrow spade.
The spade should be inclined backwards at
right angles to the line of the hedge and
then pushed forward so as to leave an open
space behind and under the spade, into
which the plant should be placed straight
with the roots down and deep enough to
cover all the yellow parts an inch below
the surface, and then the spade should be
carefully withdrawn. This operation is re-
peated until the whole row is set.
The hedge row should be cultivated and
kept free from grass and weeds much
after the manner of corn and potatoes.
The manner of "plashing" the hedges
is as follows: When the plants are one ol
two inches in diameter the lateral branches
are trimmed off. The plants are bent over
from the roots and wired as stated above In
Mr.. Hildrup's hedge. The tops are cut of
above the upper wire; the new growth
puts forth with wonderful profusion and
with the interlaced wires and branche,
forms an almost impenetrable hedge.
Pruning is comparatively easy. BY cut
ting away the lateral branches the hedge
becomes dwsrfed, the growth of the root:
conform themselves to the growth of thu
tops and the only pruning necessary is I,
pass along each side Of the fence and will