124 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



son, about one inch below the suifucc of the mound. We once 

 cmpk)yed a man to transphiut fruit trees, who sat them so deep 

 that they barely lived, from year to year, for three years, when 

 they commenced growing rapidly. Upon examination, it was 

 discovered that every tree had produced a new system of roots, 

 not more than one inch below the surface of the ground ; and as 

 soon as the roots had attained sufficient size to take up a fair share 

 of nourishment, the branches began to grow. We well remember, 

 ■when a small lad, that a lai-ge apple tree was removed from the 

 kitchen garden to the orchard, in the winter, when a large ball of 

 frozen earth adhered to the roots, and was planted in a large, deep 

 hole, previously dug to receive it. Unintentionally the tree was 

 planted several inches deeper than it stood before removal. The 

 consequence was, that the tree made no growth for several success- 

 ive seasons, because it was planted too deep. 



Yet as soon as a system of roots near the surface of the ground 

 was sufficiently long and large to supply an abundance of nourish- 

 ment to the branches, the top began to grow rapidl}-, and produced 

 an abundance of fruit ; and up to the present writing it is a thrifty 

 tree in full bearing. These fjtcts are sufficient to prove that roots 

 near the surface of the ground are essential to the growth of trees 

 and plants, or nature would not be so prompt to reproduce a new 

 set as soon aspractical)le after the surface roots have been removed. 

 The habit of producing a set of roots near the surface of the 

 ground is not confined to trees and shrubs, as the stems of Avheat, 

 Indian corn and other grain, if the seed be buried three, four or 

 more inches deep, will immediately send out a set of roots near 

 the surface of the ground. And if rich soil be piled around the 

 stems before the blossoms have appeared, another system of roots 

 will appear just below the surface of the ground. From these 

 facts, we can at once see and appreciate the eminent importance of 

 simply skimming the surface of the ground with the plow for 

 several feet distant from the trees. In order to do the work neatly, 

 a gauge wheel should be secured beneath the end of the plow 

 beam, and adjusted to allow the plow to run to the desired depth 

 between the rows of trees. Then, as the plow approaches the 

 trees, the plowman must lift on the handles. By this means all 

 the mcjst important roots will not be disturbed liy the plow, and 

 the trees will grow much more rapidly and produce more abund- 

 ant crops than if all the secondary roots be lorn up and cut off by 

 the plow. When we were accustomed to plow young orchards. 



