IRISH GARDENING 



\Ol.lMK \-ll. 

 No. 77 



A MON'lllLV JOURNAL DEVOIED TO HIE 



ADVANCEMENT OV HORTICULTURE AND 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



Ji i.v 

 191 J 



The Nu?-scry Treatment of DifHcuIi;,' 



Transplanters. 



Iiv A. C. I-\m<ki>, Djioclor oi Avondak- Kuri-slr'v Slalloii. 



LIBRARY 



EW VifRK 

 liOTAMCAU 

 QARU&N 



Til !•' Iransplanliiiij of trees is such an 

 old and time-worn subject that there 

 is probably little to say or write about 

 it that is absolutely new. But when the litera- 

 ture on this subject is looked up, especialh' that 

 found in text-books and other treatises which 

 pay more attention to the abstract than the 

 concrete, one seldom finds sullicient emphasis 

 laid upon the ijreat importance cif preparintj the 

 tree beforehand for the critical process of trans- 

 plantinif in the ordinary rouyh-and-ready way in 

 which this work has to be done in order to save 

 time and e.\pense in forestr)' practice. The most 

 suitable age or size of any particular species for 

 undertfoini,^ the operation of removal is usually 

 specified, but beyond the fact that it should be 

 once or twice transplanted, or so many inclies 

 in heii,''ht, as the case may be, little is said 

 about the actual condition or constitution of the 

 plants, or the special trainiui^- they should 

 undergo before they are submitted to a process 

 as unnatural as keeping a fish out of water or 

 a mar. imder an an;T;sthetic. ^'et the actual 

 operation of transplanting is a small matter 

 compared with the treatment the plants have 

 received during the previous year or two. A 

 nursery in the strictest sense may be regarded 

 as a training school for trees, a school in w hich 

 they should acquire strength, understanding, 

 ^and independence — strength as shown in their 

 t--. ability to stand erect and und.uuitod when 

 •^exposed to cold and wind; understanding, in 

 ^the shape o( a well-developed and not too 

 ^straggling root system ; and independence 



c*» 



enough to be able to ignore rough lifting and 

 exposure to air and sun during the interval 

 between lifting in the nursery and transplanting 

 in their permanent homes, which may, in the 

 event of too severe treatment, prove to be their 

 graves. 



The question remains : Mow can these 

 characters be acquired b\' the tree, and what 

 assistance can the forester or nurseryman give 

 it in acquiring them ? As regards the tree 

 itself, nuich depends upon the view it takes of 

 things in general during the first year or two 

 of its existence. The ambitious species, with 

 a strong desire to raise its head above the 

 surface, usually concentrates most of its energies 

 on the production of stem and leaves, and, 

 will) abundant soil moisture at its command, 

 overlooks the fact that a day will come when 

 the spoon-feeding provided by a rich soil will 

 cease, .".nd ii will then have to search slowly 

 and painfully for its nourishment in deeper and 

 poorer soil strata. Such a species will usually 

 neglect its root system and allow it to develop 

 a few strong, far-reaching roots, with too small 

 a number of feeding roots to fasten upon 

 every square inch of soil within their reach 

 and hold on until they are asked to work for 

 the stem above them. Others , -aiii. realising 

 that life is not going to be all l-eer and skittles, 

 and that the "downs" are likely to be more 

 plentiful than the " ups," at once begin to 

 develop a thick compact root system which will 

 enable them to take full advantage of anything 

 the soil has to offer, and sustain life in the 



