HINTS ON TRANSPLANTING. 



217 



them as foremost a place for uniform har- 

 diness and productiveness as for hic^h and 

 delicious flavor. 



It would be easy to swell our select list 

 to double its size. But then we should have 



had partial doubts as to some points regard- 

 ing several sorts to be named. As it stands 

 now, it may be considered as vouched for 

 by the most intelligent cultivators in various 

 sections of the country, besides our own. 



HINTS TO THOSE TRANSPLANTING TRESS. 



We have great satisfaction in observing 

 that the old system of crowding the roots 

 of trees into holes of the smallest possible 

 size, is abandoned by every intelligent 

 planter in the country ; that the public ge- 

 nerall}'' begin to understand, that plants re- 

 quire food as imperiously as animals ; and 

 that in proportion as a soil is poor, thin, 

 heavy, or impenetrable to the delicate fibres 

 or spongioles which mainly collect nourish- 

 ment from the soil, is it necessary to dig 

 large and deep spaces for the roots of trees, 

 and supply the soil with manure or rich 

 composts. 



There are, however, still one or two 

 points in the practice of transplanting, that 

 are by no means thoroughly understood, 

 and upon which some of the best cultiva- 

 tors are not fully agreed. 



One of these is, whether the head or 

 branches of a transplanted tree should he 

 pruned at the time of plaiiting .«' 



Theoretically, it is undoubtedly true, that 

 pruning is unnecessary and even improper, 

 since there is naturally an exact balance or 

 proportion between the amount of roots and 

 branches of a healthy tree. 



In Lindlei/s Theory of Horticulture, 

 touching this point, the author remarks : — 

 " The great point to attain in the first in- 

 stance, [in a transplanted tree] is the reno- 

 vation of the roots, and that will happen 

 only in proportion to the healthy action of 

 the leaves and buds ; if, therefore, the 

 VOL. II. 28 



branches of a plant are removed by a prun- 

 ing knife, a great obstacle is opposed to 

 this renovation; but if they remain, new 

 roots will be formed in proportion to their 

 healthy action. The danger to be feared is, 

 that the perspiration of the leaves may be 

 so great, as to exhaust the system of its 

 fluid contents faster than the roots can re- 

 store them, and in careless transplanting, 

 this may doubtless happen ; in such cases, 

 it is certainly requisite that some part of the 

 branches should be pruned away ; but no 

 more should be taken off' than the exigency 

 of the case obviousl}^ requires ; and if the 

 operation has been well performed there will 

 be no necessity whatever." 



This is sound theory, and we confess that 

 we have so much I'espect for the natural 

 symmetry of branches belonging to a Avell 

 shaped tree, that we are alwaj-s inclined to 

 lean to the side of the largest protection 

 and the least mutilation. 



But practice has also its laws — its laws 

 based on circumstances not always fore- 

 seen by theory — and laws so imperative as 

 not to be neglected without serious loss or 

 damage. 



Tile question that practice immediately 

 propounds to theory, in tlie business of 

 transplanting, is how many roots mav be 

 lost in taking trees out of the ground, with- 

 out demanding a rigid pruning of the 

 branches ? 



The only case of transplanting which 



