SBROBS ABOUT BOOTS, 101 



easily destroyed by exposure to the air, and that 

 during winter a large share of the smallest of them 

 died as a natural process. Then it came to be 

 understood that while the ultimate fibres are of the 

 utmost value during the growing season they are of 

 comparatively little use during the period of rest 

 when plants are generally removed, and that there- 

 fore if the main root system is preserved in trans- 

 planting, down to roots the size of a pipe stem or 

 less, the smaller fibres are easily restored by the 

 plant if the soil and other conditions are favorable. 

 The amount of care to be given to the preservation 

 of the smaller roots in the removal of plants depends 

 on the time of the year, the condition of the plant 

 when it is removed, and on the amount of exposure 

 it must necessarily undergo before it is again 

 planted in the soil. Too many good roots can never 

 be preserved, but the value of the smallest fibres 

 under all circumstances has sometimes been over- 

 estimated. 



