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you have a soil of suitable depth to receive them. It is not 

 necessary, as already explained in Sect. V., that every sub- 

 ject fit for immediate transplantation should be endued in 

 the fullest manner with the protecting properties. They 

 need only to possess such a proportion of them, as is suffi- 

 cient for the exposure, in which the tree is to he placed. By 

 a sound judgment exercised in this particular, and by the 

 help of an experienced eye, much useful work may be done 

 with trees taken up at once, and the most surprising improve- 

 ments made, at a small expense. This, 1 find, is a part of 

 the business, which has not been at all understood, as indis- 

 criininate preparation is generally conceived to be necessary; 

 a supposition implying needless expense, and quite contrary 

 to judicious practice. 



To prepare single or individual trees, is often a work of 

 difficulty, as well as time. It frequently happens, that they 

 may be found in a free exposure, and have good bark and 

 stems ; but in such an exposure, they are frequently defect- 

 ive in branches or roots, or both, in consequence of mechan- 

 ical injury suffered from other trees. If the branches be 

 tolerable, but the roots deficient, by being long and scraggy, 

 they are to be cut round, according to Lord Fitzharding's 

 method, with some improvements, which have been made 

 on that operation. If the deficiency lie in both branches and 

 roots, a different method must be adopted ; as it is plain that 

 branches and roots, being relative and correlative, the former 

 could not possibly be got to extend, were so severe a disci- 

 pline to be practised on the latter. 



To meet this difficulty with any counteracting effect, I 

 have found but one method, which, although opposite to 

 gardener's practice, is deserving of the notice of the planter. 

 Instead of digging among, and disturbing the roots for the 

 introduction of manure, let about a cart-load of peat-compost 

 be taken, carefully prepared, as above,^ and in the most per- 

 fect state of pulverization, or coal ashes of a like quantity, 



