out of sight, if the ball be broken underground, it is as injurious to the plant 

 as if it had been done previous to planting. With such plants, the earth 

 should be more especially and carefully pressed round the outside of the 

 ball ; or, when plants are placed in the ground with balls of earth which have 

 been a long time in pots, the balls should be rather broken all round before 

 they are planted : othenvise the fibrous roots may become so matted within 

 the ball, as not to be able to extricate themselves, and the plants will be 

 retarded in their growth. 



Both trees and bushes may be planted with great safety when the buds 

 are nearly expanded, especially in damp gloomy weather, but not without the 

 check being greater than if planted a little earlier ; certainly, however, with 

 better success than late in the autumn or in winter. It will be found of the 

 greatest moment to water freely such plants as have been removed in the 

 spring months. This should take place at least twice a week, should the 

 weather prove droughty, till they are safely established, say four or six 

 waterings, or more. There are many kinds of rare plants kept in pots, which 

 in cases of need may be planted in June, indeed at any time, without risk of 

 death ; but the month of May is preferable to a later date. One great advan- 

 tage of having the plants lying in the earth at hand, (as I have described 

 above), is, that the most congenial weather can thus be seized upon for 

 planting them. 



The planter should be particular always to have the trees and shrubs 

 taken up with as many fibrous roots as possible ; and while I impress the 

 importance of this, it will be still more important to warn against the 

 unnatural practice of dubbing the roots, so generally pursued previous to 

 planting. Common sense teaches us that to divest a plant of its healthy 

 roots, is depriving it of vital organs, through the medium of which its 

 principal support is derived. 



