286 



•TOTTENAIi OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAIUDEKEE. 



[ H&rch 37, 1866. 



the successful planting uf large trees, in spite of all tlie energy 

 and abilities of the master mind. The removal of a large tree 

 is after all only a mechanical operation, its growth afterwards 

 is a natural one, and no amount of ingenuity can always ensure 

 succesB. We arc occasionally told that hoes may be safely 

 moved with a particnlnr machine at all times of the year, and 

 that they will prosper afterwards. I confess that I am myself 

 very doubtful on this point. Some years ago I went to see 

 some trees that had been so treated, and which were pointed 

 out as an example of success, and I did not sec a healthy one 

 amongst them, although thoy had been established some six or 

 seven years in their new abode. The operation, I have no 

 doubt, was well performed, but something must bo sacrificed, 

 and there is, consequently, a loss for which compensation can- 

 not easily be made. Some plants that will lift with a good 

 ball, and whose roots are numerous and closely woven together, 

 will remove with tolerable success, but even they suffer a little 

 when the plant is large ; while all naked long-rooted ones suffer 

 sadly, and their success is often a doubtful affair. Neverthe- 

 iless, as it may be deemed worth while to transplant a favourite 

 specimen of large size, and as a costly machine for the purpose 

 may not be at hand, a sort of useful carriage may be made 

 with veiy little trouble, and the operation performed tolerably 

 well. The mode is this : — 



Having fi.\ed on the tree or shrub to be removed, commence 

 on two opposite sides at a proper distance from the collar so as 

 to secure the extremities of the roots ; separate these carefully 

 ■from the soil, turn them upwards, and then tie them out of 

 the way as the work proceeds. Continue this work until you 

 approach so near the collar that the rest may be left intact as 

 a ball ; then dig downwards about 15 inches deeper than the 

 bottom of the ball will be. Do this on both sides, and for a 

 ispace of about 4 feet wide. This done, commence undermining 

 •the ball on both sides, throwing the material out of the way. 



The carriage, which should be in readiness, is of very simple 

 construction, in fact, merely a flat-boarded platform resting on 

 wooden rollers, the ends of the rollers being shaped into a sort 

 of axle fitting into holes prepared in the framework supporting 

 the platform, but so low as to take up as little room as possible, 

 in order to save unnecessaiy excavation to allow of the carriage 

 being brought underneath the ball. It would, however, not be 

 advisable to have the rollers less than 8 or 10 inches in dia- 

 'meter ; and allowing an inch or so from the roller to the boards 

 above for dirt, from 12 to 14 inches may be sufficient from 

 the bottom of the roller to the top of the carriage. This 

 carriage is intended to slip in underneath the baU of the tree 

 as soon as the excavation, or rather undermining, is so far 

 advanced as to allow it room. 



The two sides of the ball at right angles to those excavated 

 I take for granted have not been touched, and in general these 

 are sufficient to bear the tree when the earth is hollowed out 

 from beneath ; and in undermining the ball take care to let 

 the bottom be as flat and smooth as possible, in order that it 

 may rest on the carriage over the whole of its .surface. Should 

 there be any roots or unevenness which will prevent this, 

 make up the deficiencies after the carriage is put in by stuffing 

 in some cushions of moss or litter, or it may be soil, only the 

 latter is mc re difficult to insert. 



The carriage being fixed properly underneath, and with its 

 top just touching the bottom of the ball, you may then com- 

 mence to cut away the two remaining sides of the ball, begin- 

 ning at a proper distance to save the roots as before, doing 

 both sides together, so that by the time you reach the sides 

 that are cut the tree will settle itself on the carriage. A mat or 

 two tied round the ball will complete the work so far, and some 

 gaiAc ropes should bo attached to the top of the tree, to be held 

 till the tree has been fairly di-awu out of the hole, which will 

 be more or less easy according to the weight and other circum- 

 stances. The tree being on the carriage, the next duty is to 

 cut the ground to the latter, so as to form an easy incline, and to 

 lay a couple of planks on the soft soil for the rollers to ran on ; 

 then apply hand power in the shape of levers, pulleys and 

 blocks, or some other power, and when it is seen that the whole 

 will move, horses may be put to work ; but if the distance to 

 which the tree has to be removed is great, it is best to mount 

 this carnage upon another having wheels, as a waggon with- 

 out sides, or if with sides the bottom ought to be wide enough 

 to take in the plant-carriage. The top of the tree being securely 

 fixed by tying to the waggon, and the ball made as secure as 

 possiUe by stufJing and tying, the plant may travel as many 

 miles as you like. 

 In setting the plant in its fatxae position the mode of pro- 



ceeding is nearly the reverse of that already detailed, only this 

 second part of the operation is sometimes more difficult than 

 the first, for it is not always prudent to deepen the hole so much 

 as to allow the fiJl depth of the carriage below the ball, as the 

 latter may accidentally drop into it and bo too deep. Where, 

 however, there is a triangle with ropes and blocks, they may bo 

 erected over the tree, and li.- rope fastened to the collar, that 

 being preWonsly well padded. By these means two or three men 

 will bear a great part of the weight, while others are palling out 

 the carriage, some at the same time holding the ball to prevent 

 its breaking, and, of course, as soon as the carriage is clear of 

 it, let it drop, or rather settle into its place. 



Sometimes it is advisable to have two or three loose boards 

 on the top of the carriage before the ball is placed upon it, and 

 these are of great service in sliding the tree ofl it, the boards 

 themselves being sacrificed. Many better contrivances, how- 

 ever, will suggest themselves to the operator. I have seen a 

 mat inserted underneath the ball, and the whole tied up like a 

 huge pudding ; but, in general, this can be dispensed with, and 

 tolerably heavy plants may be lifted in the way indicated. Of 

 course in filling up carefully laving out of tlie roots <innst be 

 duly attended to, taking cflre not to allow them to be -togaiher, 

 the whole being spread out as far as possible. Good soil of a 

 suitable kind should then be supplied them. The -result will, 

 of course, be good or indifferent according to the clianioter of 

 the season, the adaptability of the tree for .transplanting, and 

 some other circumstances, for, be it jremembered, 1 never yet 

 saw a large plant moved without a check, and verj- seldom a 

 small one. Although I have often enough heard sndh an 

 assertion made, generally its true interpretation "was, that the 

 object operated upon did not suffer much ; for, however catefully 

 the work may be performed, and however perfect the tackle, 

 injnry must be done to the best roots the tree has, if it 4>e a 

 large one, and has been in its position long. If it be removed 

 to better soil, and a more favotirable situation, the tree jnay 

 after a few years show more vigour and improvement than it 

 would have done if left at its first abode ; but this only proves 

 that the situation is a better one, not that the operation of re- 

 moval effected the improvement. 



This paper having extended to a much greater length than I 

 anticipated, I find I must leave the subject of removing shrubs 

 and trees of smaller size to another opportunity, and as much 

 greater success invariably follows the transplanting of small 

 than of large trees, I would in most cases advise planters to be 

 satisfied with such. To be able to point out a large tree that 

 was transplanted without losing a leaf is certainly something 

 to boast of ; but it is well to wait and see what the condition 

 of that tree is two years hence. I once heard a pushing builder 

 assert the possibility of transplanting a deciduous tree of large 

 size without losing a leaf, and in the middle of summer, and 

 sure enough he did it, for the leaves were still on at Christmas, 

 but it bore no more, and instances of this kind are not by any 

 means uncommon. — J. Robson. 



STOPPING VINES IN POTS. 



JIe. D. Thomson in his reply to " iNQuniEB," in the Number 

 of February 2iHh, and referring to the cutting down of the 

 canes of pot Vines of the same year's growth as a good plan, 

 adds that it is one which he for the future intends to adopt. 

 Now, 1 have not grown pot Vines extensively, but I always 

 laboured that my few should bo good, so far as I could make 

 them so. I tried different plans to secure my object, the best 

 of which was somewhat similar to the system noticed by Mr. 

 Thomson. When my Vines had fully expanded and matured 

 a few fine leaves, I ciit them down to the lowest good leaf, and 

 after making a growth of 2 feet, I again stopped them, con- 

 tinuing the stopping at two-feet inter%als until 1 had secured my 

 length of cane. The shoots after each stopping pushed with 

 increased strength, and the eyes below it became much m«o 

 prominent. The result was, that the Vines so treated o»rried 

 a better and more regular crop than by any other means which 

 1 practised. 



My object i:i stopping was I ■ obtain increaoed root-action, or 

 in other words to bring a more abundant supply of food to a 

 given point, a system which I had observed to increase the 

 vigour of other plants. After three years' practice the Vines so 

 treated were in every instance the best, and gave the most 

 satisfactory returns. 



Some time has elapsed since I practised the above plan. I 

 was not then, nor am 1 now aware, that there is anything new 



