270 HOW TO GROW GOOD TIMBER. 



either dig around it, and, perhaps, apply a portion of 

 manure, or sacrifice the plant and put a fresh one in 

 its stead. 



This premature fruiting arises sometimes from the 

 roots of the plant having been too much crippled, 

 either by breaking or drying from being kept too long 

 out of the ground ; we may here state, then, that, if 

 only to prevent this, in all cases of transplantation, 

 they should be taken out of the nursery with great 

 care, so as to injure the roots as little as possible, and 

 further be planted in their new home with the utmost 

 despatch. Disappointment is sure to result where 

 trees of any kind have been kept long out of the 

 ground, as they are when bought at market or in 

 packets at sales. We should never purchase at the 

 latter, unless they were left in the ground to be 

 fetched as might be required. 



As we have been led incidentally to remark upon 

 the subject of crippling by means of injured roots, 

 we may now point out that the same thing occurs 

 where young trees have been topped either for mis- 

 chief, or injudiciously pruned. We remember having 

 some larches thus damaged by some vagabond boy, 

 and in seven years they were only dwarf cone-bearing 

 bushes, whilst others planted at the same time were 

 15 feet in height. In this case, then, instant 

 removal, when discovered, and the being replaced 

 by fresh plants, would after all be a saving of time 

 in getting useful sticks. 



2. Fitting. — In this process the soil is sometimes 

 dug out so as to make holes about 2 feet square, the 

 soil being left to weather by the sides of the holes, 

 and returned around the trees when they are planted. 



