Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VIII.djvu/618

 604 HEDGE Hampshire, which then embraced 13 towns. In 1804 he was at Hanover, N. H. ; in 1805 at Barre, Vt. ; and in 1806 at Cheshire, Vt. Du- ring 1807-'9 he was presiding elder of the New Hampshire and New London districts. In 1808 he was a delegate to the general conference at Baltimore, and took an active part in the dis- cussion of the policy of a delegated general con- ference. From 1809 to 1816 he preached in Nantucket, Lynn, and Boston, and from 1816 to 1824 in Portland, Lynn, and New London, being also superintendent of the Boston district. In 1824 he was elected bishop. During the 26 years of his administration he was distin- guished for his clear and comprehensive views of the doctrines and polity of the church, and for his intimate acquaintance with ecclesiastical law. His manual on the "Discipline" is of high authority. In 1848 he was chosen to represent the Methodist Episcopal church in the British conference. He was one of the chief movers in the founding at Boston of " Zion's Herald," the first journal of the Metho- dist Episcopal church of the United States. See " Life and Times of the Kev. E. Hedding, D. D.," byD. W. Clark, D. D. (New York, 1855). HEDGE, a fence of living plants, designed for protection or for ornament. Hedges are seldom over 5 or 6 ft. high, and are kept low and compact by annual trimming ; where trees are set near together and allowed to grow tall, to protect buildings or crops from prevailing winds, they are called screens and wind breaks. In the early attempts in this country at hedg- ing, English examples were followed in form- ing the hedge and in selecting the plants ; these resulted so generally in failure that this method of fencing fell into disrepute, and for many years was almost entirely abandoned. With the settlement of the woodless prairies the practice of hedging was revived, and it is at present receiving much attention, many miles being set annually in some of the western states ; and it is becoming extensively adopted in some of the older states. In certain parts of Delaware and Maryland one may travel all day over the country roads and see but few fences. The hawthorn, so generally used for hedges in England, is entirely worthless in this country ; its foliage appears late, becomes in- jured by the hot sun, and falls early, and the plant is badly infested by various insects ; our several native thorns are but little better. For a protecting hedge there are but two plants employed to much extent in the northern and two others in the southern states. The Osage orange is more used than any other plant. This, the Maclura aurantiaca, also called bo- dock or bois d'arc in the southwest, where it is native, is a handsome tree, with glossy leaves and a fruit in structure like a dry mulberry, of the size and shape of an orange. The seed, obtained by rotting the balls and washing away the pulp, is scalded and kept warm and moist until it sprouts ; it is then sow r n in rows and kept well cultivated during the season ; at the north the plants are taken up in the au- tumn, assorted, and buried in a dry place. The hedge row being well prepared, the plants are set the following spring six inches to a foot apart, first shortening both top and root. It is impossible to make a good hedge unless the plants are carefully cultivated and kept free from weeds until the hedge is formed. The after treatment varies. Some form the hedge by a systematic cutting made each year to in- duce a dense growth at the base ; this course requires five years to form the hedge. The other method is to allow the plants to grow without pruning for three or four years, when they are laid down or lopped ; the stem of each is cut half way through close to the base, and the top laid down on the ground, each plant being bent down upon the preceding one ; this is done in spring, and by autumn an abun- dance of new shoots will have formed an im- penetrable thicket, which is brought into prop- er shape by trimming. The Osage orange is hardy in the climate of New York city, but in much colder localities the most serviceable hedge plant is the honey locust, GleditscJiia triacanthos, also called three-thorned acacia, a well known tree of the leguminosm. (See HONEY LOCUST.) The seeds, if scalded before sowing, germinate readily ; they are sown in a seed bed, and the following spring the plants are set in the hedge rows; they are brought into shape by annual cutting back. Several years ago there was much discussion as to the use of white willow as a hedge plant, but it is better fitted to form a windbreak. At the south one of the best hedge plants is the py- racanth or evergreen thorn, cratcegus pyra- cantha, from southern Europe ; it has dense, dark-green foliage, white blossoms, and bril- liant scarlet fruit ; it is propagated by cuttings and by seeds, which germinate slowly. This variety is not hardy at the north, but one with light-colored fruit, lately introduced, survives the winter near New York. The Macartney rose, rosa bracteata, is a favorite at the south, as it forms an impenetrable barrier to ani-. mals, and is almost constantly in bloom. The buckthorn, rhamnus caiharticus, and the com- mon barberry, berberis vulgaris, are used for hedges to a limited extent. For ornamental hedges, in which great powers of resistance are not required, a large number of plants may be used; almost any shrub or tree which grows tall enough may by proper pruning be made to serve. Among evergreens, the most elegant hedge plant is the hemlock spruce, abito Canadensis. The Norway spruce, A. excelsa, and the arbor vitae, thvja occidentalis, are also frequently employed. At the south the holly, English and Portugal laurels, and many other broad-leaved evergreens, including the camel- I lia, are set in hedge rows. Of the deciduous plants, the privet, ligustrum vulgare, the Ja- pan quince, cydonia Japonica, and even the beech and other forest trees, and the pear and other fruit trees, are sometimes used.