46 TRANSPLANTING. [CHAP. III. 



I have found the trowel, however, do almost 

 equally well, though it takes up rather more 

 time. 



Another use of transplanting is to remove 

 trees and shrubs from the nursery to where 

 they are permanently to remain. To enable 

 this to be done with safety, the trees and shrubs 

 in commercial nurseries are prepared by being 

 always removed every year or every other year, 

 whether they are sold or not. The effect of 

 these frequent removals is to keep the roots 

 short, and yet provided with numerous spon- 

 gioles ; for as the roots are always pruned, or, 

 as the gardeners call it, " cut in," on every 

 removal, and as the effect of pruning is to 

 induce the roots pruned to send out two short 

 fibrous roots furnished with spongioles, in the 

 place of every one cut off, the roots, though 

 confined to a small space, become abundant. 

 The reverse of this is the case when plants are 

 left in a natural state. It has been already 

 mentioned that plants require various kinds of 

 soil ; and, as the ground in which ligneous 

 plants are grown is not so often manured as 

 that used for herbaceous vegetables, some par- 

 ticular kinds of earth are soon exhausted, and 

 the plants to obtain what they want are continu- 

 ally in search of fresh soil. To provide for this, 

 the fibrous roots are possessed of an extraordi- 

 nary power of elongating themselves at their 

 extremities ; and thus the roots of even a small 

 plant, left to nature, will be found to extend to 

 a great distance on every side. It is obvious 

 that this elongation of the roots must greatly 

 increase the difficulties attending transplanting. 



