LEAVES. 23 



to wilt under a hot sun or in a dry atmosphere. Plants 

 that are transphmted with their foliage on, as annuals are 

 in the spring or summer, will wilt and even die if ex- 

 posed to the air and sun ; but if transplanted in a moist 

 day, or covered, so that evaporation cannot take place, 

 the plant does not appear to feel the removal. So with 

 cuttings of many jDlants thus propagated ; if j^laced in 

 the earth with a certain amount of foliage on, and left 

 uncovered, they will immediately die ; but when w^e place 

 a bell glass or a hand glass over them to 2:)revent evapo- 

 ration, they remain as fresh as though they had roots 

 supplying them with moisture from the soil. It is on this 

 account that transplanted trees so often die when the 

 branches and shoots are not in proportion to the roots. 

 In transplantmg, a portion of the roots are destroyed, 

 and all are more or less deranged, so that their functions 

 are feebly performed for some time after planting. If all 

 the branches and shoots are left on, they wdll, as usual, 

 produce leaves, but the absorj^tion at the roots being so 

 much less than the exhalation of the leaves, the juices 

 contained in the tree, previously laid up, soon become ex- 

 hausted, the leaves droop and wither, and the whole fabric 

 perishes. In budding, too, if the wdiole leaf were left 

 attached, the evaporation would be so great as to kill the 

 bud ; hence we remove all but a portion of the stalk. 



A tree can neither mature its wood nor its fruit without 

 the full and healthy exercise of the leaves. If in the grow- 

 ing season, a tree is deprived of its foliage by blight, 

 insects, &c., w^e see that growth is entirely susj^ended for 

 a time, until new leaves are developed ; and if the leaves 

 be removed from a tree bearing fruit, we see the fruit 

 shrivel and dry up, or ripen prematurely and become 

 worthless. These facts, and many others that might be 

 cited, show" the intimate connection existing between the 

 leaves and the other organs of trees, and the influence 



