IN SCOTLAND.

319

switching or pruning a grown hedge, the branches next theground on each side should be shortened to within eighteeninches or two feet of the main upright stems; those abovebeing made shorter and shorter, in proportion to their dis-tance from the ground. At five feet high, they are cut doseto the stems, and the entire hedge is then reduced to one uni-form height. By this mode of dressing, every thing receivesits full share of rain, sun and air, and the lower branches arenot suffocated, or destroyed by those above them. The onlyobjection against this plan of dressing hedges, is, that it pre-vents a supply being occasionally obtained of sufficientlystrong cuttings for dead hedges, to assist in protecting otheryoung hedges, and for temporary fences.

Thorn-hedges on favourable soils, which have been care-fully trained, and occasionally cut over or dressed in thewedge shape, will last for ages. But when neglected in theiroriginal training, they are sure to become full of gaps andweak places, when they are nuisances instead of benefits tothe occupier of the ground. Where they have been careless-ly allowed to grow up like forest-trees, wild and unpruned,the stronger plants suffocate the weaker, rendering the wholea hedge-row of thorn-trees with irregular wide intervals, in-stead of a fencible hedge.

Gaps in hedges may often be filled up, by laying down a longbranch or stem of thorp, half cut through near the ground,and fixing it firmly along the surface, by notched stakes driveninto the ground, and covering the extreme end with the earth.This extreme end strikes roots, and the horizontal stem orbranch throws out upright shoots, which fill up the gap.This branch must be carefully guarded, by rails or deadfences, till it acquire sufficient strength for its own protec-tion.

Where gaps are too large for being filled up in thismanner, it is necessary to insert cither thorns or someother plants. In this case, the space in which they areto be planted ought to be dug over, and formed into 3