TRANSPLANTING. 7 



serious evil, and many of the disappointments of 

 the fruit grower may be traced to this cause ; it 

 is better, particularly in moist soils, to set a fruit 

 tree at least two inches higher tnan when grown 

 in the nursery ; and if necessary, let the earth be 

 heaped up around in the form of a hillock ; by 

 this means the roots will have a horizontal direc- 

 tion given to them, which they will afterwards re- 

 tain. Shallow planting induces the roots to. ex- 

 tend themselves near the surface, and prevents 

 their extending downwards into a bad or cold sub- 

 soil. Liebig's leading principle is, that the car- 

 bon of plants is chiefly derived from the atmos- 

 phere. This suggests the importance of admit- 

 ting air to the roots of plants by inviting them to 

 the surface. 



Autumn planting of trees is preferable when 

 the soil is dry, as the fall rains settle the soil closer 

 to the roots ; but when the soil is clayey, and the 

 weather damp or soft, at planting time, it gets 

 into a state of puddle and rots the roots in win- 

 ter; and unless the weather is dry at planting 

 time in autumn, such planting had better be de- 

 ferred until spring. . 



In watering newly planted trees in dry weath- 

 er ; before levelling, saturate the soil completely 

 all round the roots, and then finish by spreading 

 dry soil above ; water poured on the surface runs 

 it into a paste, which hardens by the sun into a 

 cake, obstructing the free entrance of the atmos- 

 phere into the soil, without which no plant will 

 thrive. Surface waterings often do more harm 

 than good. Mulching, by placing litter around 

 a tree, will preserve the moisture, and is a much 

 better practice than surface waterings. 



