1804 ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. PART III 
Woods, §c., Dec. 1836.” (See also the Bath Society’s Papers, vol. xv. p.41—67,; 
and an article entitled “ Minutes on the Methed adopted by Mr. Robert Turner 
of raising Oaks, &c.,” by T. Davis of Warminster, and G. Sturge of Bristol, in 
the 13th volume of the’ Gardener’s Magazine.) 
Whether Oak Plants or Acorns ought to be used in forming Oak Plantations is a 
question, respecting the answer to which planters are not fully agreed ; though, 
upon the whole, we believe, plants are preferred. A doubt, it is probable, would 
never have been raised on the subject, had it not been found that, under ordinary 
circumstances, the oak suffers more by transplanting than the elm, the ash, the 
beech, and other similar trees ; which is partly owing to its natural delicacy, and 
partly to its depending, when young, chiefly on its taproot, and from its not 
producing, for some years, many lateral roots, unless forced to do so by art. 
When, however, the oak has been two or three times transplanted in the nur- 
sery before its final removal, it will produce a sufficient number of lateral roots 
to insure its growth, if carefully removed; and, for this reason, we should, in 
almost every case, prefer using strong transplanted plants to acorns. We 
have already remarked that oaks, after they have attained a certain size, are 
more successfully transplanted than seedlings of one or two years; a fact 
which will be found to hold good with all trees whatever which have taproots 
of extraordinary dimensions when young. One reason which some give for 
preferring acorns is, the alleged injury which oak plants sustain by the loss 
of the taproot, which, it is said, they never regain. This opinion, however, is 
well known to be erroneous ; it being as natural, in the case of seedling 
oaks, for that part of the plant which is under ground to reproduce a leading 
or tap root when that has been cut off, as it is for the part above ground to 
reproduce a leading shoot after that has been removed. It is also equally well 
known, that the taproot is only found, in oak and other trees, when in a young 
state; and that no oak or other tree, when cut down, was ever found to have 
anything like a perpendicularly descending main root in any way comparable 
to the perpendicularly ascending trunk of the tree above ground. The con- 
sequence of sowing an acorn where it is to remain, and not cutting through 
the taproot, is, that it remains a longer period before putting out any lateral 
roots; but whether these lateral roots are put out sooner or later, can have 
very little influence on the growth of the tree under ordinary circumstances, 
and certainly none on the value of the timber which it produces. It is easy to 
conceive that, if the surface soil on which an acorn is planted is much richer 
than the subsoil, something in rapidity of growth will be gained by cutting off 
the taproot, so as to force the plant to send out lateral roots sooner than it 
otherwise would do; but, though something is gained by this, something, also, 
will be lost; because the supply of water, so essential to all plants which 
have naturally taproots, in a very young state, will be considerably diminished. 
In warm climates, therefore, and in all cases where a saving of first cost is an. 
object, we should prefer acorns to plants; but in tolerably moist climates, and 
in deep alluvial or marly soils, or where the surface soil is rich, and where the 
object is to produce oak trees as soon as possible, we should recommend strong 
lants. 
2 The following judicious observations on the subject of the taproot were 
communicated to the Bath and West of England ‘Society by a planter and 
manager of timber of very great experience, Thomas Davis, Esq., of Portway, 
near Warminster. The taproots of young oak trees, Mr. Davis says, support 
the trees during a given period, which may vary in the number of years from 
various circumstances, soil, situation, &c., but is limited in effect by the ne- 
cessities of the plant; and so soon as as the lateral roots take firm hold of 
the land, and are enabled to undertake the duty of support, from that time the 
taproot ceases to be useful, and at no distant subsequent period ceases to in- 
crease, and is very soon not distinguishable from the other roots. Mr. Davis 
therefore concludes, —“ Ist, That an oak seedling, or sapling, from 3 to 5 
years old, planted out with the taproot cut off, will again root downwards ; 
sometimes singly, sometimes forked. 2dly, That the practice of cutting off the 
