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Page 7
Fine young seedling evergreens can often be found in the woods or
fields, and may be had for the asking, or for a trifling sum. Dig
them so as to save all the roots possible. Never permit these to
become dry till they are safe in your own grounds. Aim to start
the little trees under the same conditions in which you found them
in Nature. If taken from a shady spot, they should be shaded for a
season or two, until they become accustomed to sunlight. This can
easily be accomplished by four crotched stakes supporting a light
scaffolding, on which is placed during the hot months a few
evergreen boughs.
Very pretty and useful purposes can often be served by the
employment of certain kinds of evergreens as hedges. I do not like
the arbitrary and stiff divisions of a small place which I have
often seen. They take away the sense of roominess, and destroy the
possibility of pretty little vistas; but when used judiciously as
screens they combine much beauty with utility. As part of line
fences they are often eminently satisfactory, shutting out prying
eyes and inclosing the home within walls of living green. The
strong-growing pines and Norway spruce are better adapted to large
estates than to the area of an acre. Therefore we would advise the
employment of the American arbor vitae and of hemlock. The hedge
of the latter evergreen on Mr. Fuller's place formed one of the
most beautiful and symmetrical walls I have ever seen. It was so
smooth, even, and impervious that in the distance it appeared like
solid emerald.
The ground should be thoroughly prepared for a hedge by deep
plowing or by digging; the trees should be small, young, of even
height and size, and they should be planted carefully in line,
according to the directions already given for a single specimen;
the ground on each side mulched and kept moist during the first
summer. In the autumn, rake the mulch away and top-dress the soil
on both sides for the space of two or three feet outward from the
stems with well-decayed manure. This protects the roots and
ensures a vigorous growth the coming season. Allow no weeds or
even grass to encroach on the young hedge until it is strong and
established. For the first year no trimming will be necessary
beyond cutting back an occasional branch or top that is growing
stronger than the others; and this should be done in early
October. During the second season the plants should grow much more
strongly; and now the shears are needed in summer. Some branches
and top shoots will push far beyond the others. They should be cut
back evenly, and in accordance with the shape the hedge is to
take. The pyramidal form appears to me to be the one most in
harmony with Nature. In October, the hedge should receive its
final shearing for the year; and if there is an apparent
deficiency of vigor, the ground on both sides should receive
another top-dressing, after removing the summer mulch. As the
hedge grows older and stronger, the principal shearing will be
done in early summer, as this checks growth and causes the close,
dense interlacing of branches and formation of foliage wherein the
beauty and usefulness of the hedge consist.
CHAPTER II
FRUIT-TREES AND GRASS
It is a happy proof of our civilization that a dwelling-place, a
shelter from sun and storm, does not constitute a home. Even the
modest rooms of our mechanics are not furnished with useful
articles merely; ornaments and pictures appear quite as
indispensable. Out-of-doors the impulse to beautify is even
stronger; and usually the purchaser's first effort is to make his
place attractive by means of trees and shrubs that are more than
useful--they are essential; because the refined tastes of men and
women to-day demand them.
In the first chapter I endeavored to satisfy this demand in some
degree, and now will ask the reader's attention to a few practical
suggestions in regard to several of the fruits which best supply
the family need. We shall find, however, that while Nature is
prodigal in supplying what appeals to the palate and satisfies
hunger, she is also like a graceful hostess who decks her banquet
with all the beauty that she can possibly bestow upon it. We can
imagine that the luscious fruits of the year might have been
produced in a much more prosaic way. Indeed, we are at a loss to
decide which we value the more, the apple-blossoms or the apples
which follow. Nature is not content with bulk, flavor, and
nutriment, but in the fruit itself so deftly pleases the eye with
every trick of color and form that the hues and beauty of the
flower are often surpassed. We look at a red-cheeked apple or
purple cluster of grapes hesitatingly, and are loth to mar the
exquisite shadings and perfect outlines of the vessel in which the
rich juices are served. Therefore, in stocking the acre with
fruit, the proprietor has not ceased to embellish it; and should
he decide that fruit-trees must predominate over those grown for
shade and ornament only, he can combine almost as much beauty as
utility with his plan.
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