16 AMERICAN GARDENER. 



usual, the former will exceed the latter one half 

 in bulk. And, as to trees of all descriptions, 

 from the pear-tree down to the current-bush, the 

 difference is so great, that there is room for no 

 comparison. It is a notion with some persons, 

 that it is of no use to move the ground deeper 

 than the roots of the plant penetrate. But, in 

 the first place, the roots go much deeper than 

 we generally suppose., When we pull up, a cab- 

 bage, for instance, we see no roots more than a 

 foot long ; but, if we were carefully to pursue 

 the roots to their utmost point, even as far as 

 our eye would assist us, we should find the 

 roots a great deal longer, and the extremities of 

 the roots are much too fine to be seen by the naked 

 eye. Upon pulling up a common turnip, who 

 would imagine, that the side, or horizontal 

 roots extend to several feet ? Yet I have traced 

 them to the length of four feet ; and Mr. Tull 

 proved, that they extended to six feet ^ though 

 he could not see them to that extent with his 

 naked eye. But, though the roots should not ex- 

 tend nearly to the bottom of the moved ground, 

 the plants are affected by the unmoved ground 

 being near at hand. If this were not the case, 

 plants with very short roots might be cultivated 

 on a brick pavement with earth laid upon it to 

 the thickness of a foot ; and yet, no plant will 

 live and thrive in such a state, while it will do 

 very well in ground along side the pavement, 

 though meved only a foot deep. Plants require 

 a communication with, and an assistance from, 

 beneath as well as from above, in order to give 

 them vigour and fecundity. Plants will live and 

 will grow to a certain extent . in earthen fiots> 



