P L A 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



P L A 



351 



or gravel be not three inches thick, as may be frequently 

 observed where trees are growing upon such soils. The next 

 thing is to place the tree in the hole in such a manner, that 

 the roots may be about the same depth in the ground, as 

 they were growing before they were taken up ; then break 

 the earth fine with a spade, and scatter it into the hole, so 

 that it may fall in between every root, that there may be 

 no hollowness in the earth; but by no means screen or sift 

 the mould. After having filled in the earth, gently tread it 

 close with your feet, but do not make it too hard, which is 

 a very great fault, especially if the ground is strong and 

 inclinable to bind. Having planted the trees, provide a par- 

 cel of stakes, one of which should be driven down by the 

 side of each tree, and fastened to it, to support it from being 

 blown down or displaced by the wind : then lay some mulch 

 upon the surface- of the ground about their roots, to prevent 

 the earth from drying. This is to be understood of standard 

 trees, which cast their leaves; for such as are planted against 

 walls should have their branches fastened to the wall, to 

 prevent the tree from being displaced by the wind ; but 

 there is no difference in their management, only to preserve 

 their heads entire, and to place their roots about five inches 

 from the wall, inclining their heads thereto ; and the spring 

 following, just before they shoot, their heads should be cut 

 down to five or six buds, as is fully directed under the seve- 

 rul articles of the different kinds of fruit. As to the watering 

 of all newly-planted trees, it should be done with great 

 moderation, nothing being more injurious to them than over- 

 watering. Examples enough of this kind may be seen all 

 over England, where plantations having been over-watered, 

 whereby the greatest part of the trees have failed, or at least 

 those which have survived have mp.de little progress, through 

 the abundance of water given to them having rotted off their 

 fibres as soon as they were produced. And how can any 

 reasonable person imagine that a tree will thrive, when the 

 ground in which it is planted is deluged continually with 

 water? From an experiment made by placing the roots of 

 a Dwarf Pear-tree in water, the quantity of moisture imbibed 

 decreased very much daily, because the sap-vessels of the 

 roots, like those of the cut-off boughs in the same experiment, 

 were so saturated and clogged with moisture, by standing in 

 water, that more of it could not be drawn up. This experi- 

 ment, it should be remarked, was tried upon a tree which 

 was full of leaves, and thereby more capable to discharge 

 a larger quantity of moisture than such trees as are entirely 

 destitute of leaves : so that it is impossible such trees can 

 thrive, where the moisture is too great about their roots. 

 The seasons for planting are various, according to the dif- 

 ferent sorts of trees, or the soil in which they are planted ; 

 for those trees the leaves of which fall off in winter, the best 

 time is in the middle or end of October, provided the soil be 

 dry ; but for a very wet soil, it is better to defer it'until the 

 latter end of February or the beginning of March, and for 

 many kinds of evergreens the beginning of April is by far 

 the best season, though some sorts may be safely removed 

 at Midsummer, provided they are not to be carried very far; 

 but always choose a cloudy time in that part of the year, 

 when they will take fresh root in a few days. On the 

 contrary, when these trees are removed in winter, during 

 which time they are almost in a state of rest, they do not 

 take root until the spring advances and sets the sap in motion ; 

 so that many times they die, especially if the winter prove 

 severe. As to the preparation of the soil for planting, that 

 must be adapted to the different sorts of trees, some requiring 

 a light soil and others a strong one: and all these particulars 

 the reader will find included .under their proper heads. In 

 VOL. it. 95. 



this place it will be sufficient to observe generally, that though 

 for the fruit-trees, a fresh soil from a pasture ground, such 

 as is not remarkably light, dry, strong, or moist, but rather 

 a soft loamy earth, is to be preferred, provided it be exposed 

 some time. If it be for wall trees, the borders should be 

 filled with this earth to the width of six or eight feet, and 

 about two and a half deep. The depth should not be greater, 

 because in that case the roots are enticed downward, which 

 we have repeatedly remarked is very prejudicial to fruit-trees. 

 The same also must be observed for standard trees, where 

 fresh earth is brought to the places in which they are planted, 

 not to make the holes too deep, but rather let them have the 

 same quantity of earth in width ; which is much to be pre- 

 ferred. There are some persons who direct the placing the 

 same side of the tree to the south, which before removing 

 had that position, as a material circumstance to be strictly 

 regarded. The trials which Mr. Miller made, did not how- 

 ever enable him to discover the least difference in the growth 

 of those trees which were so placed, and others which were 

 reversed ; so that he concluded it unnecessary to observe this 

 particular direction. The distance which trees should be 

 planted at, must also be proportioned to their several kinds, 

 and the several purposes for which they are intended, all of 

 which is explained in other parts of this work; but fruit-trees 

 planted either against walls, or for espaliers, should be 

 allowed the following distances : for most sorts of vigorous- 

 shooting Pear-trees, from thirty-six to forty feet; for Apricots, 

 sixteen or eighteen feet; Apples, twenty-five or thirty-feet; 

 Peaches and Nectarines, twelve feet ; Cherries and Plums, 

 twenty-five feet, according to the goodness of the soil or the 

 height of the wall. This article has hitherto treated chiefly 

 on fruit-trees and evergreens for gardens ; but we shall now 

 proceed to the planting of forest and other trees, which are 

 in all large plantations of parks, and in extensive gardens, 

 the most numerous. The modern practice of transplanting 

 these sorts of trees from hedge-rows and woods, of large sizes, 

 and at a great expense, has too generally prevailed in this 

 kingdom, the generality of planters being in too great haste, 

 and by a mistaken notion of saving time, begin by transplant- 

 ing such large trees as they find on their own estates, or that 

 they can procure in their neighbourhood, and please them- 

 selves with the hope of having fine plantations soon ; but if, 

 instead of removing these trees, they would begin by making 

 a nursery, and raising their trees from seeds, they would save 

 a great expense and much time, and they would have the 

 constant pleasure of seeing their trees annually advance in 

 their growth, instead of growing worse, as will always be the 

 case where old trees are removed, though many flatter them- 

 selves with the hopes of success, when they find their trees 

 shoot out in the following season ; and as these will often 

 continue to grow for some years after, they continue their 

 expectations ; till, after waiting many years, in which time they 

 might have had seedling trees grown up to a fine size, if they 

 had been sown at the time that the large trees were planted, 

 they find their trees annually decaying, when they most 

 expected their increase; for, says Mr. Miller, of all the plan- 

 tations which I have seen of these large trees of any sort, there 

 is scarce one which has ever succeeded. In some of these 

 plantations, all the Elms which could be procured from the 

 neighbouring hedge-rows have been removed, most of which 

 having been suckers produced from the old stumps, have 

 scarcely any roots: these have at a great expense been planted 

 and watered, and perhaps many of them have made consi- 

 derable shoots the whole length of the stem at every knot, 

 and many of them have continued ten or twelve years alive 

 without increasing half an inch in the girth of their stems ; 

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