The Emporia News

Hedges, says the Gardener's Monthly, properly treated are the cheapest of fences. Most hedges are too high, and too thin at the base. In setting a hedge the plants should be sorted according to their strength, and the weaker ones should have the best soil. The tops of all deciduous hedges should be cut down to a foot from the root at transplanting; should stand sloping, in two rows twelve inches apart, alternate. The time to trim is when the growth is most active, or about the middle of June. Once a year will answer, and a sharp scythe is a suitable instrument. Each year cut the hedge a foot higher till you reach the desired height (four feet is usually enough), but do not touch the sides till the width is some three or four feet; then prune to your liking. Remember that there is less harm in a horse looking over a hedge, than a hog running under it.