THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



627 



new rools will be formed in proportion (o their 

 hcaliliy action. The danger to be feared is, tluii 

 liie perspiration ol' the leaves n)ay be so great as 

 to exhaust the S3stem of its (luid contents tiister 

 ilian the roots can restore tiiem, and in careless 

 transplanting; this may doubtless liappen : in such 

 cases it is certainly requisite that some part ol tiie 

 branches should be pruned away; but no more 

 should be taken oft than the exigency ol' the case 

 obviously requires ; and, il the operation of trans- 

 planting has been well perlormed, there will be no 

 necessiiy whatever. Inthecase of the transplan- 

 tation of large trees, it is alleged that branches 

 nmst be removed, in order lo reduce the head, so 

 that it may not be acted upon by the wind ; but in 

 general it is easy to prevent this action by artifi- 

 cial means. 



In the nurseries it is a universal practice to 

 prune the roots of transplanted trees ; in gardens, 

 this is as seldom perlormed. Which is right '? If 

 a wounded or bruiseJ root is allowed to remain 

 upon a transplanted tree, it is apt to decay, and 

 this disease may spread to neighboring parts, 

 which would otherwise be healthy ; to remove 

 the wounded parts of rools is therelbre desirable. 

 But the case is different with healthy roots. We 

 must remember that every healthy and unmulilal- 

 ed reot which is removed is a loss of nutriment to 

 the plant, and that too at a time when it is least 

 able to spare it ; and there cannot be any advan- 

 tage in the removal. The nursery practice is pro- 

 bably intended to render the operation of trans- 

 planting large numbers of plants less troublesome ; 

 and, as it is chiefly applied to seedlings and young 

 plants with a superabundance of roots, the loss ui 

 their case is not so much felt. If performed at all, 

 it should take pface in the autumn, for at that time 

 the roots, like the other parts of a plant, are com- 

 paratively empty of fluid ; but, if deferred till the 

 spring, then the roots are all distended with fluid, 

 phich has been collecting in them during winter, 

 and every part taken away carries with it a por- 

 tion of that nurture which the plant had been lay- 

 ing up as the store upon which to commence its 

 renewed growth 



rounding composition in suflicient abundance, and 

 lor a suflicient length of lime, is separated from 

 the tree, and planted in a shallow earthenware 

 flower-pot, of an oblong square shape ; it is some- 

 iimc» made to rest upon a flat stone. The pot is 

 then filled with small i)ieces of alluvial clay, which 

 in the neighborhood of Canton is broken into 

 bits, of about the size of common beans, being 

 just sufOcient to supply the scanty nourishment 

 which 'he particular nature of the tree and the 

 process require. In addition to a careful regula- 

 tion ol'the quantity and quality of the earth, tho 

 (luantity of water, and the management of the 

 plants with respect to sun and shade, recourse ia 

 had to a great variety of mechanical contrivances, 

 to produce the desired shape. The contain- 

 ing flower pot is so narrow, that the roots push- 

 ing out towards the sides are pretty effectually 

 cramped. No radicle can descend ; consequently 

 it is only those which run towards the sides or up- 

 wards that can serve to convey nourishment pro- 

 perly, and it is easy to regulate those by cutting, 

 burning, &c., so as lo cramp the growth at plea- 

 sure. Every succeeding lormation of leaves be- 

 comes more and more stunted,— the buds and 

 radicles become diminished in the same propor- 

 tion,— till at length that balance between the roots 

 and leaves is obtained which suite the character 

 of the dwarf required. In some trees this is ac- 

 complished in two or three years, but in others it 

 requires at least twenty years." {Hort. Trans,, 

 iv. 229.) 



Wehaveslill to consider that peculiar kind of 

 pruning which is technically called ringing. 

 This consists in removing from a branch one 

 or more rings of bark, by which the return of 

 sap from the extremities is obstructed, and it ia 

 compelled to accumulate above the ring. Mr. 

 Knight explains the physiological nature of the 

 operation so well, that I cannot do better than 

 quote his words. 



" The true sap of trees is wholly generated in 

 their leaves, from which it descends through their 

 bark to the extremities of their roots, depositing 

 n its course the matter which is successively add- 



pruning may be prejudicial in transplanting trees, 

 it may be of the greatest service to such establish- 

 ed trees as are too prone to produce branches and 

 leaves, instead of flowers and fruit. In these cases 

 the excessive vigor is at once stopped by remov- 

 al of some of the stronger roots, and consequent- 

 ly of a part of the superfluous food to which their 

 " rankness" is owing. The operation has been 

 successfully performed on the wall trees at Oulton, 

 by Mr. Errington, one of our best English gar- 

 deners, and by many others, and, I believe, has 

 never proved an objectionable practice under judi- 

 cious management. Its eflect is, pro ianto, lo cut 

 oH' the supply of food, and thus to arrest the ra- 

 pid growth of the branches ; and the connexion 

 between this and the production of fruit lias alrea- 

 dy been explained. It is by pushing the root- 

 pruning to excess that the Chinese obtain the 

 curious dwarf trees which excite so much curiosi- 

 ty in Europe. Mr. Livingston's account of iheir 

 practice is so instructive, and contains so much 

 that an intelligent gardener may turn to account, 

 that 1 think it worth repeating here 



It must now be obvious that, although root- ed to the tree ; whilst whatever portion ol such 



sap is not thus expended sinks into the alburnum, 

 and joins the ascending current, to which it com- 

 municates powers not possessed by the recently 

 absorbed fluid. When the course of the descend- 

 ing current is intercepted, that naturally stagnates 

 an'd accumulates above the decorticated space ; 

 whence it is repuUed and carried upwards, to be 

 expended in an increased production of blossoms, 

 and of fruit: and, consistently with these conclu- 

 sions, I have found that part of the alburnum 

 which is situated above the decorticated space to 

 exceed in specific gravity, very considerably, that 

 which lies below it. The repulsion of the descend- 

 ing fluid, therefore, accounts, I conceive, satisfac- 

 torily, lor the increased production of blossoms, 

 and more rapid growth of the fruit upon the decor- 

 ticated branch: but there are causes which ope- 

 rate in promoting its more early maturity. The 

 part of the branch which is below the decorticated 

 space is ill supplied with nutriment, and ceases 

 almost to grow ; it in consequence operates less 

 actively in impelling the ascending current ol sap, 

 which must also be impeded in its progress 



" When the dwarfing process is intended, the I through the decorticated space. The parts vvhich 

 branch which had pushed radicles into the sur- 1 are above it must, therefore, be less abundantly 



