HEDGE

A living wall formed of woody plants, sown or planted in a line, and cut or clipped in such a manner as to form a compact ma of any degree of width and height that may be required for the purpose of shelter, separation, or defence. The fences most generally used in agriculture are made of the white thorn {Cratagus oxy acantha, Lin.), because it has spiny branches, and forms a strong defence against cattle. Fences for the purposes of shelter and separation are chiefly used in gardening, and for the most part are formed of evergreen shrubs, such as the holly, yew, box, ., or sub-evergreens, such as the privet; of flowering shrubs, such as the Cydoniajaponica; or of deciduous shrubs or trees with persistent leaves, such as the hornbeam and beech. In the management of hedges of every description an important point is to keep them thick, and impervious to wind or animals near the ground; for which purpose the section of the hedge requires to be made broader at the base than at the top, in order that the exterior leaves in every part of the hedge may enjoy in an equal degree the influence of light, air, and perpendicular rains. [s. 558]