TRANSPLANTING TREES. 273 



from books, newspapers, teachings of practical farmers, or shall 

 we plod along in the old track, exhausting the soils and decreas- 

 ing our crops ? 



This is a question of vital importance to every farmer in the 

 country, for upon his practice in this respect will, to a large 

 extent, depend his individual success in producing good crops, 

 which is truly the result of adapting the crop to the soil, and 



supplying the requisite amount of manure. 



John B. Moore. 



A. P. Slade. 



This Essay having been read and discussed, was laid on the 

 table under the rules, but subsequently taken up and adopted. 

 The following Essay was submitted upon 



TRANSPLANTING FRUIT AND FOREST TREES. 



BY ASA CLEMENT. 



Planting and replanting trees has engaged much of our atten- 

 tion during twenty years last past ; and, as we think, owing to 

 the great variety which spring up spontaneously in almost all 

 the surrounding forests, the multiplicity of useful offices which 

 it is evident the Great Architect designed them to fill, thereby 

 contributing to the happiness of him to whom He gave dominion 

 over the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air and creeping 

 things on the earth, our interest in the subject does not diminish 

 as age creeps over, and Time leaves its footprints marked upon 

 our visage. Indeed, when we reflect upon the wisdom and 

 goodness of Him who furnished this almost endless variety of 

 trees with which to beautify the earth, together with other 

 important services which they render to us, it would seem to be 

 the height of ingratitude to manifest, not merely indifference to, 

 but a want of enthusiasm in, a matter which contributes so 

 largely to our comfort and happiness as intelligent beings, and 

 dependent as well. 



In planting any tree which is drawn from the soil with naked 

 roots, we regard it essential that all mangled roots should be 

 trimmed carefully or entirely removed, and that all roots cut off 

 with spade or other blunt-edged instrument should have the end 

 smoothly pared to where the wood is clean and sound. "When 

 trees are treated thus and set, a row of fibrous roots shoots into 

 the soil at once from the clean cut ends. 



35 



