546 THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



them in their labors ; a tree is planted like a post, and left to 

 take care of itself ; and then when it fails to grow, as in too 

 many instances it does, the fault is laid everywhere but 

 where it justly belongs. 



The truth is, that all these errors of planters arise from" an 

 under-estimate of the art of cultivation ; from the impression 

 that the planting a tree is one of the simplest operations in 

 the world, requiring neither study nor practice, and easy enough 

 for any one to accomplish. This is the fatal mistake. They 

 see many individuals succeed well enough, and fancy they 

 can do equally as well. But they quite forget how much the 

 success of the former has cost — how many books and peri- 

 odicals they have carefully studied — how, little by little, they 

 have put the information thus gained into practice, and, at 

 the sacrifice of time and money, conquered the difficulties 

 which accompanied their earlier efforts. These are the ama- 

 teurs whose example does so much to promote good garden- 

 ing, and who consider that a small amount paid in procuring 

 the best information in the beginning, is more than quadrupled 

 in the end. Until, therefore, individuals who intend to be- 

 come cultivators, obtain the right information, and give up 

 the idea that anybody can plant and rear a tree, the losses we 

 have adverted to will not be lessened, nor the complaints less 

 frequent. 



Our object at this time is not, however, to go into the de- 

 tails of operations in planting, but to offer some few hints 

 upon the management of trees at this season, preparatory to 

 winter ; for, as we have stated above, the work may all have 

 been well done up to this time, and yet a little neglect may 

 be the cause of much mischief to every plantation of trees. 



There are different opinions in regard to the best season of 

 transplanting, though we believe the majority of cultivators 

 consider the autumn as decidedly the best. Our own expe- 

 rience — and that not very limited — assures us it is the safest 

 season to transplant to any extent. We have, in a previous 

 volume, (XIX., p. 413,) given our reasons for our preference, 

 and have seen no cause to change our opinion. But whether 

 trees are planted in spring or fall, their treatment is nearly or 



