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THE GENESEE FARMER. 



now doe?, which prevents the premature death of all cultivated trees, which has been searched for 

 in vain during the history of all civilized society, die with the discoverer for want of the action of 

 the United States Congress." ' 



Now wLat there is new or secret in tliis, except a name, we can not perceive. The 

 injurious effects of planting trees deeper than the collar, have been proclaimed by good 

 gardeners for these many years. In an excellent article on Deep and Shallow Planting, 

 and their effects on Trees and Plants, in the Annals of Horticulture (London) for 1848, 

 we find the following remarks : 



"Among the conditions imposed on the planter should be that of supporting, by some means, all 

 shrubs and trees above a certain height, and also that of planting nothing lower in the ground than 

 will luring the eo//ar of the rooi level with the general surface. * * * * In no case can a tree 

 or plant (except those of the nature wc have mentioned) flourish if the collar be lower, that is, 

 materisilly lower, than the surface. * * * * jrirgt, on no account plant anything deeper in 

 the earth than it has been before ; let the collar of the root be level with the general surface, 

 or above it, for if the roots do not like to be so shallow, they will of themselves go down lower. 



*•»■** If j^ny of ^]ie doubtful will take the trouble to plant two young fir-trees, one six or 

 eight inches below the collar, and the other exactly the depth of the collar, they will convince 

 themseves in one season of the necessity of attending to these few hints. * * * * With the 

 exception of the vine, and some few that strike root at every joint, it is as important to keep the 

 collar well up to the surface, and the roots spread, as it is to plant them at all." 



In Bridgman^s Young Gardener'' s Assistant, published in 1845, Ave find the following: 



"In transplanting fruit trees, let the collar, or that part from which emanate the main root-a, be 

 near the siu'faee. * * * * With a view to illustrate the evil of deep planting, I would observe 

 farther, that when cabbage plants are transplanted in ju'oper season and on good fresh soil, they 

 generally prove uniformly good; whereas, if it should happen, as it sometimes does for want of 

 suitable weather, that the plants cannot be transplanted imtil they get crooked and overgrown, so 

 as to require deep planting to support them in the soil, such j^lants, hke diseased peach trees, decay 

 first in the bark, betwaeu eartli and air, and then, from being deprived of a natural circulation of 

 the vegetable juices, die, and discharge their putrid matter in the earth, to the destruction of such 

 other plants as may be inserted in their stead. I have frequently known a land of cabbage plants 

 filled up half a dozen times, and the crop at last scarcely worth gathering, whereas, could the plants 

 have been set out while dwarfish, and inserted tlieir proper depth in the ground, the cultivator 

 would have been rewarded a hundred fold. I dislike tautology, but cannot aA'oid repeating my 

 humble opinion, that deq) planting and injudicious culture are the causes of most of the diseases and 

 failures of fruit trees." 



LiNDLEY, iu his Theory of Horticulture, when speaking of transplanting trees, and 

 more particularly of forest trees, says : 



" Place them as nearly as possible in the same condition, with regard to the soil, that they were 

 in before removed." 



From these extracts it will be seen that this great secret lias been known to writers on 

 horticulture and vegetable physiology for these many years, and the proper C5t)urse 

 urgently recommended. Professor Comstock recommends the same course, only chang- 

 ing words and calling what gardeners call the collar, the seat of life. 



" Strange such a difference there should bo 

 'Twixt tweedle dum and tweedle dee." 



The bad effects of too deep planting Mr. Comstock says is to cause the tree to throw 

 out roots above the natural seat of life, and thus the scat of life is removed higher up, 

 and the old roots die, as well as the stem or branches, and a new shoot is thrown up 

 from the new roots, which the Professor calls a sucker. Now we think the Professor 

 would find it difficult to make many of our fruit trees throw out roots above the natural 

 collar. Some plants, (grape vines, for instance,) will freelythrow out roots from every 

 joint, and these are seldom injured by deep planting. We have planted vines raised 

 from layers, having a fine mass of roots at two joints, and after five years of fine growth 

 and fruitfulness, having occasion to remove the vine, found the lower roots healthy and 

 vigorous. A little experience we should think would teach Mr. Comstock his error in 

 this respect. 



