﻿75 
  

  

  difference 
  of 
  opinion. 
  We 
  sometimes 
  think 
  we 
  can 
  improve 
  on 
  

   nature 
  in 
  her 
  ways 
  by 
  harsh 
  methods 
  and, 
  while 
  I 
  know 
  it 
  is 
  

   customary 
  in 
  the 
  nurseries 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  to 
  cut 
  the 
  tap-roots 
  

   back 
  pretty 
  severely, 
  I 
  wonder, 
  sometimes, 
  whether 
  that 
  is 
  

   always 
  the 
  best 
  thing. 
  

  

  I 
  haven't 
  had 
  any 
  personal 
  experience, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  

   quite 
  a 
  good 
  deal, 
  and 
  the 
  tendency, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  me, 
  is 
  to 
  try 
  

   to 
  develop 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  possible 
  the 
  fibrous 
  root. 
  Sometimes 
  

   that 
  is 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  cutting 
  the 
  tap-root, 
  or 
  putting 
  a 
  wire 
  

   mesh 
  below 
  where 
  the 
  seed 
  is 
  planted, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  an 
  obstruc- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  tap-root, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  necessarily 
  forms 
  a 
  fibrous 
  root. 
  

   Where 
  the 
  tap-root 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  root 
  I 
  doubt 
  very 
  much 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   visability 
  of 
  cutting 
  back 
  too 
  severely. 
  

  

  Col. 
  VanDuzee: 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  this 
  subject 
  discussed 
  all 
  over 
  

   this 
  country, 
  in 
  meetings 
  of 
  this 
  kind, 
  and 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  energy 
  

   has 
  been 
  wasted. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  any 
  of 
  us 
  know 
  anything 
  about 
  

   it, 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  wish 
  to 
  say 
  this, 
  that 
  when 
  you 
  come 
  to 
  transplant 
  

   a 
  tree 
  from 
  the 
  nursery 
  to 
  the 
  orchard, 
  there 
  are 
  things 
  of 
  in- 
  

   finitely 
  more 
  moment 
  than 
  how 
  you 
  shall 
  hold 
  your 
  knife 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  your 
  fingers 
  when 
  you 
  cut 
  the 
  roots. 
  The 
  exposure 
  of 
  the 
  

   roots 
  to 
  the 
  air, 
  the 
  depth 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  put 
  in 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  shall 
  be 
  handled^those 
  things 
  

   are 
  of 
  infinitely 
  more 
  importance, 
  because 
  we 
  know 
  we 
  can 
  

   transplant 
  trees 
  successfully 
  and 
  get 
  good 
  results 
  when 
  the 
  tap- 
  

   root 
  has 
  been 
  injured 
  or 
  almost 
  entirely 
  removed. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  con- 
  

   sider 
  that 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  cutting 
  the 
  tap-root 
  is 
  of 
  very 
  serious 
  

   importance, 
  but 
  I 
  do 
  think 
  we 
  should 
  insert 
  a 
  word 
  of 
  caution 
  

   as 
  to 
  the 
  exposure 
  of 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  trees 
  to 
  the 
  atmosphere, 
  and 
  

   make 
  it 
  just 
  as 
  strong 
  as 
  we 
  are 
  capable 
  of 
  writing 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  Chairman: 
  That 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  interesting 
  point, 
  that 
  we 
  

   have 
  fixed 
  our 
  eye 
  on 
  the 
  tap-root 
  and 
  talked 
  too 
  much 
  about 
  

   it. 
  Not 
  long 
  ago 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  agricultural 
  journals 
  decided 
  finally 
  

   to 
  settle 
  the 
  question 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  pruning 
  grapes, 
  whether 
  

   it 
  should 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  spring, 
  winter 
  or 
  summer, 
  and 
  

   after 
  summing 
  up 
  all 
  the 
  testimony 
  from 
  enthusiastic 
  advocates 
  

   for 
  each 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  seasons, 
  the 
  editor 
  decided 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  time 
  

   is 
  when 
  your 
  knife 
  is 
  sharp; 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  very 
  much 
  the 
  way 
  with 
  

   the 
  tap-root. 
  Be 
  very 
  particular 
  in 
  getting 
  the 
  root 
  in 
  and 
  car- 
  

   ing 
  for 
  it. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Pomeroy: 
  Prof. 
  Close, 
  in 
  a 
  bulletin 
  issued 
  two 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  spoke 
  as 
  does 
  Col. 
  VanDuzee 
  about 
  protecting 
  the 
  roots 
  

   of 
  the 
  trees; 
  he 
  said 
  "when 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  box 
  

  

  