174 THE DEVELOPMENT OF BRITISH FORESTRY 



Slit-planting on rough or stony ground, or on thick 

 turf, also leads to many deaths from this cause, as the 

 roots are seldom surrounded by fine soil from which the 

 newly formed root-hairs can at once take up moisture. 



Careless lifting is, of course, chietly responsible for the 

 loss and injury of roots at transplanting. On stiff soils, 

 and with the bad rooters already named, the lifting of 

 more than a limited number of roots with their growing 

 points attached is difficult, if not impossible. On light 

 soils, and with ordinary species, however, loss of roots to 

 an injurious extent is only the result of careless lifting. 

 In the nursery, the method usually adopted is for one 

 man to thrust a spade under a roAv of trees, and lever 

 them up as far as possible, while another man catches 

 the tops, and puts his whole weight upon them. The 

 iinal result of this operation is that all growing points are 

 left in the ground, the portions lifted are broken and 

 torn, and if pines, probably skinned to within several 

 inches of the collar. Plants lifted in this way do not 

 always die, but it would probably be better if they did, 

 for they linger on for two or three years in a sickly and 

 stunted condition, and may suffer to such an extent from 

 insects, rabbits, and fungi before they can recover that 

 they remain stunted for years, and form an uneven and 

 irregular crop. 



Lack of frequent transplanting is also a cause of badly 

 rooted trees, for strong tap or side roots are formed after 

 the first year in the nursery bed, at the expense of 

 fibrous roots near the collar. This is a well-known 

 fact, and frequent transplanting is duly advertised by 

 nurserymen, although they are not always so careful to 

 supplement frequent transplanting by the equally im- 

 portant precaution of careful lifting and packing. 



Removal from nursery to planting ground ^vitJioiU 

 allowing roots to dry is one, if not the most important, 



