TRANSPLANTING AND PLANTING. 



32] 



in October, as the best season ; the arbutus in September ; the holly in 

 autumn, in dry land, but in wet land in spring ; and the laurustinus at 

 Michaelmas but also in spring, with balls of earth, or at the end of July, 

 or beginning of August, if rain should happen at that season. In general, 

 Miller recommends autumn and spring, or summer, for transplanting ever- 

 greens, but disapproves of winter. At Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, a great 

 many evergreens were moved every year for a number of years, in conse- 

 quence of additions and alterations in the grounds ; and Mr. Pratt, the gar- 

 dener, in an account of his practice given in the Gardeners Magazine, states 

 that "the best period for the operation is the middle of summer; that is to 

 say, in July and August, after the growth of the spring shoots. The plants 

 may then require a little shading with mats, if the sun is powerful ; and they 

 should have plenty of water ; but they will make roots during the remain- 

 ing part of the year, and will grow the next spring as if they had never been 

 transplanted. Those removed in the winter often remain without making 

 new shoots the whole of the following year." (Gard. Mag. vol. xi. p. 135.) 

 Mr. McNab, on the other hand, "in opposition to the opinion of a great 

 proportion of the practical horticulturists in the country," asserts, u that the 

 seasons usually recommended for planting evergreens, viz., spring or autumn, 

 are far from being the best, and are, in fact, under most circumstances, the 

 very worst seasons which can be selected." Mr. McNab recommends u late 

 in autumn, winter, or very early in spring ; that is, any time from the mid- 

 dle of October till the middle of February ; and, in general, the beginning 

 of this period as the best ; that is, from the middle of October till the middle 

 of December ; always providing that the weather and the ground are favour- 

 able ; that is, supposing there is no frost, no drying wind, nor much sun- 

 shine, and that the ground is not too much saturated with wet, either from 

 continued rain, or from the nature of the soil. One of the principal things 

 to be attended to in planting evergreens, is to fix on a dull day for winter- 

 planting, and a moist day for spring and autumn- planting." The reason 

 why dull or moist weather is so essential a condition is, that the process of 

 perspiration continues to go on in evergreens throughout the winter, except- 

 ing, perhaps, in the most severe weather ; and that when the atmosphere is 

 saturated with moisture, the perspiration is reduced to its minimum. 

 Evaporation also proceeds in an increasing ratio with the temperature, 

 all other circumstances being the same. Thus, when the temperature 

 is 80, the quantity evaporated from a given surface will be three times 

 greater than when the temperature is only 40, the degree of dryness 

 in the air being the same in both cases. So long as the leaves remain 

 on a plant in a healthy state, their functions are performed in a greater 

 or less degree, and they draw upon the roots accordingly ; so that ever- 

 greens, as they never lose their leaves, may be said to be in a growing 

 state all the year ; and were the growth not much slower in autumn 

 and winter than it is in summer, it would be as difficult to trans- 

 plant evergreen trees, even at that season, as it is to transplant deciduous 

 trees in summer with the leaves on. The first effect of separating a plant 

 from the soil, is to cut off the supply of sap to the leaves ; and as, notwith- 

 standing this, perspiration and evaporation will still continue, it follows that 

 these leaves must fade, unless the perspiration is either checked by a moist 

 atmosphere, or supplied by watering the roots. That the atmosphere in 

 Britain is nearly saturated with moisture from October to Februarv inclu- 



