VOL. XIV. XO. 33 



AWD GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



271 



(Korlhe Ni'W Kii|!l:ilicl Filrmcr.) 

 TRANSPL.AIHTIKG FRUIT TREES. 



Mr Editor : — As tlie sr.isoii is liist appnuioliing, 

 wliii'h in my liumlilc opinion is llic proiii season 

 for transplantini; most kinds of fruit trees, and as 

 most people entertain diflerent opinions relative 

 to tlio proper time and method of startinj,' trees 

 from the innsery, and transplantinj:, I take the 

 liberty to offer throngh your valuable paper, the 

 New F.ngland Farmer, a few | raetiral remarks, 

 that others may profit by my experience, if they 

 see fit. 



My knowledge of the business is founded on 

 practice and observation. I have l)een personally 

 engajreil in the business of transplanting both 

 large and small trees, more or less, for the last 

 twenty years, into all kinds of soil (that we have 

 in this vicinity), and at all seasons of the year, 

 and operated by all of the different methods that I 

 ever saw or heard of. And as far as my observa- 

 tion has extended, 1 will make a brief statement 

 of the success and disappointments that I have 

 met w ith. I prefer starting trees from the nursery 

 in the autumn, as the sap at that period is all 

 down and safely deposited in the roots (or some 

 where else) ; I dig a deep trench about two feet in 

 depth, in a somewhat sheltered situation, apd pack 

 or head the trees in as close as I possitjiy can, 

 taking care to sift the dirt well in among the 

 roots; if open spaces are left, the roots will 

 mould, which injures them very much. The roots 

 being buried deep, vegetation will be kept back in 

 the spring of the year, which will give ample time 

 to prepare the groimd, and have it in good order 

 for planting ; likewise the operation of transplant- 

 ing may be delayed some weeks later than if the 

 trees were started from the nursery in the spring. 

 I manage trees that are started early in the spring 

 in tho same way. The trees in E. Phinney, Esq.'s 

 orchard in Lexington, that took the first pre- 

 mium of the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, 

 about 5 years since, if I mistake not, were all 

 started from the nursery in the autumn, and were 

 not transplanted until after planting the ground 

 with vegetables or grain, the next spring — pro- 

 bably about the 1st of May ; and where will you 

 find another orchard like his; perhaps not in 

 America. A farmer that glories in his profession 

 wouJd profit more, and be more gratified in visit- 

 ing his orchard, than he would the falls of Niaga- 

 ra. In starting trees from the nursery, I am par- 

 ticular to loosen the soil around them with a stiff 

 lined fork, which starts the dirt from the root and 

 prevents the large roots from splitting, or the small 

 fibres from breaking off with the dirt, when you 

 lift the tree. Then with a sharp spade 1 cut off 

 all the horizontal roots I possibly can, at least 18 

 inches from the body of the tree, if the distance 

 between trees will admit ; if the trees are large I 

 cut further. I then raise the tree perpendicular, 

 or nearly so, by a steady pull, after which I imme- 

 diately cover the roots with a wet mat, or some 

 kind of Vubbish, to prevent the roots and fibres 

 from drying; if the trees are to be transported any 

 distance they should be matted immediately, or if 

 to head in, or transplant, no time should be lost, as 

 the fresher the roots the better the tree will thrive. 

 New, one word about the mutilating process, 

 in which 1 differ from most theorists, both in the 

 animal and vegetable kingdom. Before planting 

 I trim both root and branch the roots, by cutting 

 off all ragged ends and bruised places. If the 

 tree is tender and difficult to make live, I cover 



all sue^i places with grafting cornposiiion (viz. two 

 parts beeswax, one tallow) ; the tops of the trees 

 I trim in proportion to the loss of roots ; the tup 

 roots of trees' and plants, or piij's-tails, I . never 

 cut off (reader, keep cool!): I should as soon 

 think of mutilating children's feet, in order, when 

 they become men, thi>y might walk easier. Na- 

 ture has furnished both for very good ami impor- 

 tant purposes ; cut them off, and you cut a link 

 out of nature's chain. I was nnich pleased in 

 reading Mr Claggetl's very able remarks in the 

 N. E. Farmer, of the 17th ult. against tho general 

 practice of topping Indian Corn ; his ideas upon 

 that subject, I think, are fninded upon correct 

 principles, and are in perfect accordance with my 

 method of practice. 



And now, Mr Editor, if you or any one of your 

 subscribers will offer any good reason in favor of 

 mutilating either tap roots of trees or jilants, tops 

 of Indian Corn, or pigs (or any other animal's) 

 tails, I for one should like very nnich to see them. 

 Apple trees I prefer setting in rows 40 feet 

 apart each way. The pear, ]ieach, plum and 

 cherry, 20 feet or less will answer. 1 he peach 

 will do well, if the nature of -the soil will answer, 

 between apple trees, as they are short-lived, and 

 will be out of the way before the apple trees 

 require the whole of the ground. In digging 

 the holes after the ground is staked out, I dig 

 around the stake considerable larger in circum- 

 ference than the roots extend, (taking care not to 

 move the stake,) and as deep as the ground has 

 been ploughed, and no deeper upon any account 

 whatever, — unless the subsoil or pan is clay or 

 gravel, and very hard and compact ; in which 

 case 1 loosen the bottom of the hole with a pick 

 or bar, in order to give the tap root a chance to 

 go down. 



To dig holes 2 or 3 feet in depth, and fill up 

 with manure, top soil^ or small stones, as many 

 are in the habit of doing, and which I have done 

 myself, is in my opinion a very bad practice, and 

 has a bad effect. Trees in general have three 

 distinct classes of roots, at least they seem calcu- 

 lated to answer three different purposes. The 

 first tier or class naturally run horizontally with 

 the surface, or nearly so, and are covered with 

 numerous small fibres or feeders, which lead to 

 the surface in search of food. The second tier 

 or class run down nearly on an angle of 45° from 

 the body, and seem calculated for the purpose of 

 stays to support the trees ; they contain but few 

 if any fibres ; they twist about and opei'ate like 

 an auger in penetrating the land liir ; they natu. 

 rally run crooked for the better pur|iQse of holding ; 

 the ends are generally cUunped or blunt, and in 

 old trees begin to decay with the limbs, The 

 third tier or tap roots, in most trees, run down 

 perpendicularly with the body of the trees, and 

 seem calculated for a double |iurpose, that of a 

 stay to hold down with, and likewise to draw 

 moisture from the bosom of the earth ; (then why 

 cut it off?) By digging deep holes, and filling up 

 with manure or other loose materials, the tree can 

 not have that support that it naturally requires. 

 Likewise it serves to draw those roots, which 

 naturally run horizontally down, among the other 

 class or tier of roots, after which they have to find 

 their way out of the hole the best way they can, 

 as they are naturally groat travellers, and will not 

 bear confinement, which fact I ascertained by 

 removing about 100 trees that I lost by the frost 

 in 1832. They had been setabout 5 years, nearly 



one half of ihem over holes that ha I been filled 

 u|) with rich earth, sods, &c. ; those that were 

 set on the hard part after the second or third year, 

 rew faster, am! did better than those set over 

 olcM ; and when I came to remove the dead 

 ones, I found the roots to have taken their natural 

 lirection, imd had extended much further thaa 

 those that were set over large deep holes. 



I prefer digging the beds or holes several days 

 before transplanting, taking care to heap the dirt 

 in order to have it dry. I like to have the earth 

 moist, but not wet; if it is too moist it will not 

 pack well around the roots. Before I commence 

 tting, I draw in about two inches or more, (which 

 depends upon the depth of the hole,) of loose fine 

 soil, and spread it even on the bottom ; I then 

 pull up the stake, ami if the tap root is large, I ^ 

 make the hole larger to receive it. I then press 

 the tree down so that the brace roots may rest 

 solid on the bottom, then 1 have a boy or man to 

 steady the ijody of the tree, and another to sift 

 the fine dirt in upon the roots, with a corn riddle 

 or from a broad shovel ; while I with my fingers 

 pack the dirt as close and as tight around the 

 roots as I possibly can ; taking care to give each 

 and every tier of roots their natural direction. I 

 never lift the tree up and down, as many are in 

 the habit of doing, or press the earth down with 

 my foot, until the hole is filled in even with the 

 surface of the ground. After which I tread down 

 so iis to leave it a little concave. If a tree has 

 good roots, and the earth is well packed around 

 it at the time of planting it will not require 

 staking. It is said by some, that it is necessary 

 to mark the tree before starting, so as to set the 

 same side to the south that it grew in the nursery. 

 I have tried the experiment frequently, but could 

 never discover that it made any difference. It is 

 likewise said that trees make more wood the 

 south than the north side ; possibly they do in 

 Greenland, but in the latitiule of Boston, I doubt 

 very much whether the sun has that eft'ect. At 

 the time I lost my trees in 1832, part of them I 

 sawed off below where they were killed, in order 

 to engrafl ; and I as often found the heart of the 

 tree- to be as near the south as the north side. 

 The sap has regular channels to run in, and there 

 is probably as many, or they are as large upon one 

 side as the other. After an orchard is set, I think 

 it is best to keep the land in tillage for several 

 years, or until the grouird is well filled with man- 

 ure, and the roots well extended ; and whenever 

 it is seeded down- to grass I should sow nothing 

 but clover, and plough it as often as every third 

 year. Daniel Chandler. 



Farm School Island, ) 

 Feb. 23, 1836. 5 



Sii.K.— The imperishable nature of silk, even 

 under circum&tances pectdiarly unfavorable to the 

 preservation of animal substances, forms another 

 of its qualities which is deserving of remark. 

 Some years ago, the sexton of the parish of Fal- 

 kirk, in StirVingshire, upon opening a grave in the 

 churchyard, found a riband wrapped about the 

 bone of an arm, and which, being washed, was 

 found to be entire, and to have suffered no injury, 

 although it had lain for more thapj eight years in 

 the earth, and had been in contact with a body 

 which had passed through every stage of putre- 

 faction, until it was reduced to its kindred dust. 



Gauze issu])posed to have originated in Gaza, 

 in Pal(>stine : hence its name. 



