roots; as the gaps would ftill continue

where they formerly were.

The only me

thods that I know of rendering this a fence. are, either to mend up the gaps with dead wood, or to plash the hedge: Which last operation is always the most eligible, where the gaps are not too large to admit of being cured by this means.

The operation I here call plashing, may be defined, 'awattling made of living wood." To form this, fome ftems are firft felected, to be left as ftakes, at proper distances, the tops of which are all cut over at the height of four feet from the root. The ftraggling fide-branches of the other part of the hedge are alfo lopped away. Several of the remaining plants are then cut over, close by the ground, at convenient distances; and the remaining plants are cut, perhaps half through, fo as to permit them to be bent to one fide. They are then 'bent down almost to a horizontal pofition, and interwoven with

with the upright ftakes, so as to retain them in that pofition. Care ought to be taken, that these be laid very low, at thofe places where there were formerly gaps; which ought to be farther ftrengthened by fome dead ftakes, or truncheons of willows, which will frequently take root in this cafe, and continue to live. And fometimes a plant of Eglantine will be able to overcome the difficulties it there meets with, ftrike root, and grow up fo as to ftrengthen the hedge in a moft effectual manner.

The operator begins at one end of the field, and proceeds regularly forward, bending all the stems in one direction, so as that the points rife above the roots of the others, till the whole wattling is compleated to the fame height as the uprights; after which it affumes an appearance fomewhat refembling that which is reprefented in Fig. 5.

An expert operator will perform this work with much greater expedition, than one who

has

not seen it done could eafily imagine. And, as all the diagonal wattlings continue to live, and send out shoots from many parts of their stems, and, as the upright fhoots that rise from the ftumps of those plants that have been cut over, quickly rush up through the whole hedge, these ferve to unite the whole into one entire mafs, that forms a strong, durable, and beautiful fence.

This is the best method of recovering an old neglected hedge, that hath as yet come to my knowledge.

§ XIX.

Directions for preventing the young Twigs of a Hedge from being killed in Winter.

In fome cafes, it happens that the young shoots of a hedge are killed every winter; in which cafe, it foon becomes

dead

dead and unfightly, and can never rise to any confiderable height. A remedy for this disease may therefore be wifhed for.

Young hedges are obferved to be chiefly affected with this diforder; and it is almost always occafioned by an injudicious management of the hedge, by means of which it has been forced to fend out too great a number of shoots in fummner, that are thus rendered fo fmall and weakly, as to be unable to refift the severe weather in winter.

It often happens that the owner of a young hedge, with a view to render it very thick and close, cuts it over with the fhears a few inches above the ground, the first winter after planting; in confequence of which many small shoots spring out from each of the stems that has been cut over :-Each of which being afterwards cut over in the same manner, fends forth a ftill greater number of fhoots, which are smaller and smaller, in proportion to their number.

If the foil in which the hedge has been planted is poor, in confequence of this management, the branches, after a few years, become fo numerous, that the hedge is unable to send out any fhoots at all, and the utmost exertion of the vegetative powers enables it only to put forth leaves. These leaves are renewed in a fickly ftate for fome years, and, at laft, cease to grow at all-the branches become covered with fog, and the hedge perishes entirely.

But, if the foil be very rich, notwithstanding this great multiplication of the stems, the roots will still have fufficient vigour to force out a great many fmall fhoots, which advance to a great length, but never attain a proportional thickness. And, as the vigour of the hedge makes them continue to vegetate very late in autumn, the frofts come on before the tops of these dangling fhoots have attained any degree of woody firmness; fo that they are killed almost

entirely