58 Transplanting. 



operation. They would not be surprised, if they saw the common 

 destruction of the roots in taking them up. Fig. 73 represents a 

 nursery tree with its roots entire ; the dotted lines show where the 

 spade is commonly set for the purpose of lifting ; Fig. 74 is the tree 

 after taken up, when more than nine-tenths of the roots are cut off 

 sometimes it is as badly mutilated as in Fig. 75. Fig. 76 exhibits 

 the same as removed by careful nurserymen. 



Fig. 74- 



Fig. 75. Fig. 73. Fig. 76. 



Modes of digging nursery trees. 



In taking up the tree, the spade should be set into the earth at a 

 distance from the tree, and the whole carefully lifted, not forcibly 

 withdrawn, from the soil. Or, so much of the earth should be sepa- 

 rated in a circle by the spade, that when the tree is withdrawn, a 

 large portion of the soil may be lifted with it with the small fibres. 

 In the following figure, a indicates the trunk of the tree ; bb the cir- 

 cle of roots cut off with the spade in a hasty removal ; and without 

 this circle, the rest of the roots which are left in the earth (Fig. 77). 

 The same is shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 73. 



In ordinary, or even very careful practice, a part of this wide net- 

 work of fibres must necessarily be separated from the tree. It is 

 evident then, that the usual supplies of sap to the leaves must be in 



