EXPERIMENTS IN TRANSPLANTING FOREST TREES. 



tree stood between two pines; I easily conceived the idea of running a chain across from 

 one to the other, and hooked a tackle to it, and fearing lest I sliould injure the bark by- 

 drawing directly under the ball, in a square, so that I could take two draft chains and 

 hitch to the four corners, and bring up the loops in the form of a bail, to which I attached 

 the lower block of the tackle, and by means of a snatch block attached to a neighboring 

 tree, and my oxen to the fall, in a moment it was swinging at a sufficient height to admit 

 me to run two poles across the hole on which I run the stone-boat under the ball and 

 and lowered it down carefully on it. But the ball was not frozen sufficiently, and I lost 

 considerable dirt. I however succeeded in retaining about two-thirds of a cart load with 

 the tree, but that was somewhat crumbled and broken. As the tree had a handsome 

 head, I hesitated to cut into it, though strongly urged to do so by my friends; not know- 

 ing what proportion to cut off, I let it remain, concluding that the chestnut was rather a 

 tender tree, and would not endure much pruning. The whole experiment proved a fail- 

 ure. Although I have been baffled in my undertakings to transplant this beautiful, 

 though common forest tree, and make it an ornament nearer home, I am not willing to 

 give up so laudable an enterprise so long as there is a reasonable hope of success. 



Now, if there is any course which you would recommend me to take to effect my ob- 

 ject, I will pursue it with fresh vigor, and one day Avill give you the result of the experi- 

 ment. 



There is a young planter in my neighborhood who has set about raising a few chestnut 

 trees on a piece of ground which he wished to ornament; he made manj'^ attempts, but all 

 in vain; it seemed as if the fates were against him; at last with commendable zeal he 

 planted the 7iuts, which came up in the spring and have flouished finely, and are now be- 

 tween seven and eight feet high. But I do not want to wait so long, as I wish to set them 

 by the road-side; and the labor to protect them from stray cattle till the}' are old enough 

 to stand unprotected, would be more expensive than to transplant large trees. When you 

 give me the desired information, you will please to state what proportion of top to leave 

 on the chestnut. 



As to all the rest of the ornamental trees, both deciduous and evergreens, which Ave 

 transplant, I am well versed in the manner of treatment, both in transplanting and after- 

 wards. Regarding the deciduous trees; when I have not as good a supply of roots as I 

 should wish, I trim nearly to bare poles, except a few spurs to aid them in starting; but 

 if a tree is not vigorous enough to force out a sprout it Avill rarely succeed afterwards. It 

 is an old adage that " experience teaches a dear school, but fools Avill learn in no other." 

 And though I have no aching desire to claim its application to myself, I have, as I will 

 own, learned a few lessons in that school Avhich I trust will be of service to me in years to 

 come. If I could have had the perusal of your valuable work, and useful hints on the 

 Transplanting of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, both deciduous and evergreens, as given 

 from the experience of your numerous correspondents, it would have saved me a great 

 deal of pain, both of body and mind. Respecting what is laid down in your important 

 work upon the pruning of evergreens, I knoAV it to be a fact that they scarce ever need 

 the knife or saw to improve their natural outline. But when evergreens are transplanted, 

 it should always be done in the frozen ball, or in the clod, especially the white pino, 

 spruce, hemlock or firs, and the more carefully it is done, the surer will be the success. 

 Indeed, I have taken them up with a clod of earth about their roots, and transported them 

 thirty miles, in a waggon, and planted them with as good success as I could reasonabl}^ 

 ask for, and far better than I could have expected. But to take them up as we do small 

 deciduous trees, without the clod of earth, the chance is comparatively small; and accord- 



