48 TRANSPLANTING. [CHAP. m. 



More earth is then shovelled in, and water 

 applied again. This mode of planting has the 

 great advantage of rendering the tree firm, 

 without staking or treading; the earth down 

 round it, as is usually done ; and the water, 

 from being poured rapidly through the air, 

 carries with it into the soil a quantity of car- 

 bonic acid gas from the stratum of that gas 

 existing in the atmosphere near the earth. By 

 another mode of planting, the gardener spreads 

 the roots of the tree out carefully at the bottom 

 of the hole or pit made to receive them, and 

 then fills in the earth. In all cases, the ground 

 is either made firm with water, or trodden 

 down, or beaten flat with the spade, after plant- 

 ing, so as to fix the roots firmly in the soil, for 

 the same reasons as nearly a similar plan is 

 adopted in sowing seeds ; care being taken, 

 however, not to make the earth so firm as to 

 exclude the air. Newly-transplanted trees are 

 frequently staked ; but this is not essential if 

 the roots are made firm, and, indeed, the tree is 

 generally found to do best when the head is 

 left at liberty to be gently agitated by the wind. 

 It is a great point, in all cases of transplant- 

 ing, to preserve the epidermis or cellular inte- 

 gument of the fibrous roots and spongioles in a 

 flexible state; and, for this reason, the greatest 

 care is taken to keep them moist. This is one 

 of the ends in view in puddling or fixing by 

 water in transplanting; and many planters 

 always dip the roots of trees and shrubs in 

 water before replanting them. When a tree or 

 shrub is taken up that is to be conveyed any 

 distance, the roots should be wrapped up as 



