ON TRANSPLANTING TREES. 377 



Too much attention cannot be paid to the protection, as much 

 as possible, of the young roots from the influence of the atmos- 

 phere ; and, consequently, to save unnecessary exposure, the pit 

 intended for the reception of the plant should be previously dug 

 and prepared for it. If the weather be dry and favourable, we 

 do not object to this having been done, and the earth thrown up 

 to pulverize under the action of the air for a couple of weeks 

 prior to the operation of transplanting. 



Before placing the root-ball into the pit, a little dry, fine soil 

 should first be thrown into the hole, and if the situation be very 

 low, or the soil heavy, it is a decided advantage to have the 

 immediate spot well drained by means of small loose stones, 

 or coarse gravel, laid in narrow slits radiating from the pit to a 

 distance of about three yards, deepening such little runlets for 

 superabundant moisture at the extremities to at least a foot below 

 the level of the bottom of the pit. By these channels the rcot- 

 bed is rendered less liable to root-damp, the great obstacle to the 

 success of newly transplanted trees, which is frequently origi- 

 nated by hard tramping, and over-watering at the time of removal. 



Having thus placed the tree in the site, the soil is next 

 cautiously filled in to the hole, care being taken to firm it well ; 

 but, in doing so, it is especially requisite to avoid lacerating the 

 small roots, and when the earth is all filled in, there should be 

 formed around the neck of the tree a trough or hollow, to prevent 

 the operation of watering from washing away the soil, and thus 

 exposing the rootlets near the surface of the ground. 



In planting the tree in its new situation, it is sometimes 

 customary to reverse its position, if it happens to have a weather 

 side, or an unequally balanced head, and to turn towards the 

 stormiest point, the side of the tree best furnished with branches'. 

 In this way the habit of the plant to turn its branehes from the 

 wind is corrected, and its future appearance improved. Where 

 much inequality exists, or where long limbs predominate too 

 much, a little judicious pruning may be also desirable. In no 

 case do we advocate root-pruning in transplanting deciduous or 

 other trees. 



In the manner thus indicated, specimens from about three to 

 six and eight feet in height are removed without the aid of ma- 

 chinery ; but where a good root-ball cannot be obtained, a trans- 

 planting apparatus should be employed ; and, when this is neces- 

 sary, we have found the 30-inch transplanter, patented by 

 M'Glashan of Edinburgh, both efficient, easily wrought, and 

 economical. 



The same general rule is applicable to all methods of trans- 

 planting, whether by manual labour or by machine, namely : — to 

 disturb the functions of nature as little as possible, and when 

 disturbed to provide for the injury a speedy remedy. Thus very 



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