THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



yet every plant has them in thousands. 

 Like the cambium, the root hairs are so 

 delicate that drying for a few minutes will 

 kill them. It is the destruction of the root- 

 hairs that makes successful transplanting^ 

 so difficult. If trees could be taken up and 

 planted again without the loss of root-hairs 

 they would never know that they had been 

 moved. This, however, is practically im- 

 possible except with the smallest seedling 

 trees, yet it shows that too great care can- 

 not be exercised in protecting the roots of 

 trees during transplanting. It is owmg to 

 the heavy loss of fibrous roots with their 

 root-hairs that make it so difficult, nay al- 

 most impossible, to transplant large trees. 

 Most of the smaller roots with their absorb- 

 ing root-hairs are cut away, and the large 

 roots on account of their thin bark have lit- 

 tle power of producing the hairs. The 

 leaves on coming out evaporate the sap 

 from the tree, and since there are but few 

 root-hairs to take up moisture from the soil, 

 the tree dries up and dies. 



Pruning for Transplanting. — It is a 

 'good practice in the transplanting of large 

 trees, or indeed of any tree, to cut back the 

 large roots the year previous to taking up, 

 so as to cause the tree to send out nearer 

 the trunk, a strong growth of fine roots, 

 which will be removed when the tree is dug 

 up. Since more or less roots are cut or 

 broken off in transplanting, the top should 

 be cut back proportionately with root. All 

 broken or decayed roots should be cut back 

 to fresh healthy tissue, otherwise they be- 

 come a source of disease. Roots pruned 

 smoothly without injury to remaining tissue 

 will callus over quickly and send out a good 

 growth from the callus. For this reason 

 the rooting of layers can be hastened by 

 cutting away the bark on one side and ex- 

 posing the cambium to the soil so that a 

 callus is formed. 



Forming the Young Tree. — As soon as 

 the young tree has become established after 



transplanting, the formation of its top will 

 commence. When the head of the tree is 

 once formed the trunk does not lengthen, so 

 that the lowest limbs must be started at the 

 height we wish them to be in the mature 

 tree. On account of ease in picking the 

 fruit a low spreading head used to be con- 

 sidered most convenient. Of late years, 

 however, the greater frequency of cultiva- 

 tion and driving back and fcyward in spray- 

 ing, make the high formed head most con- 

 venient. Upright growing varieties such as 

 the Spy may be started lower than trees of 

 crooked or drooping growth such as Green- 

 ing or Roxbury Russet. 



Number of Main Branches. — Trees 

 should not be started with too many main 

 branches, as afterwards they thicken up and 

 crowd each other and make it necessary to 

 cut out very large limbs. As nearly all of 

 the food of the tree is made by the leaves, 

 the removal of a large limb with a great 

 deal .of foliage is a blow struck at the vigor 

 and longevity of the tree. Trees so pruned 

 suffer a process of starvation till the normal 

 foliage is again restored, while the large 

 wounds are a source of disease to the tree. 



Ideal Pruning. — The ideal pruning con- 

 sists in removing not branches but buds, not 

 in checking growth but in directing it. It 

 is easier and also less shock to the tree to 

 pinch off buds here and there, than a few 

 years later to saw off large misplaced limbs. 

 Trees should be so formed and shaped when 

 young that in later years trimming should 

 be only slight, and it would never be neces- 

 sary to cut out large limbs. Three main 

 limbs started at different points so as to 

 evenly distribute their pressure on the trunk, 

 will make a well formed head. Opposite 

 crotches are to be avoided, particularly in 

 peach and plum trees, for when the limbs 

 are heavily loaded the trunk is apt to split 

 down by the wind and the tree is practically 

 ruined. 



Pruning for Fruit. — Trees have two 



