DISEASES. 235 



of the plant, thereby exciting it to grow in a way 

 superior to others not so exposed. Deep planting 

 upon a slope is not so injurious to the trees as it is 

 upon flat ground. 



The way in which deep planting proves most 

 injurious to the trees is probably by placing their roots 

 at a depth beyond the immediate action of the solar 

 rays. I made some experiments with larch (three 

 years transplanted) in a nursery. In planting, I put 

 each alternate row two inches deeper than the other 

 row, and found as the result that 30 per cent, of the 

 deep-planted trees died, while the others all lived. 



It is a settled question with many people that freely 

 circulated water in some way applied to larch is all 

 that is needed ; but when asked in what way it should 

 be applied, the answer is never forthcoming. It 

 seems weU to endeavour to correct this misapprehen- 

 sion, for although water may be near well-grown trees, 

 it is not from the water or from wet soil that the tree 

 derives its nourishment. It is nourished and sustained, 

 not by the water, but in spite of it. 



Drainage also has its strong advocates, who think 

 and act as if open drains would make the larch grow. 

 Wet ground is drained and planted ; the trees flourish 

 for a while, are seen to be flourishing, and so inspire 

 confidence ; the result is imparted to others, and thus the 

 impression is spread abroad. On clay-drained ground 

 the larch, after flourishing for a period of about fifteen 

 years, dies suddenly, and all about the drains is for- 

 gotten. Or some one thinks the two-feet drain not 



