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sometimes still farther out. Hence, he should begin cau- 

 tiously to try with the spade and picker, in order to discover 

 the extreme points of the rootlets. Whether the roots he 

 may lay bare belong to the plant, or to some other tree of 

 the same species, he will at a glance perceive, from what 

 the workmen call " the feathering," that is, the position of 

 the capillary rootlets upon the primary rootlets or branches, 

 which are always found pointing outwards from the body of 

 the tree. 



Having ascertained where the extremities lie, the next 

 step to be taken is, to open a trench two, or two-and-a-half 

 feet wide, and cut down to the subsoil or deeper, should the 

 roots have penetrated so far. The bank is then to be under- 

 mined, in which the roots seem to lie, to the extent of eight 

 or ten inches, in order to facilitate the operation of the picker. 

 Two workmen are next to extricate or scratch up the roots, 

 while one is sufficient to throw out the mould, which in con- 

 sequence falls down into the trench ; and thus the workmen 

 are distributed three and three together, according to the 

 number employed, over the whole extent of the excavation. 

 As every effort must be made to preserve the minutest fibres 

 and capillary rootlets entire, the difference between an expe- 

 rienced and an inexperienced workman is very striking, in 

 an operation of so much nicety ; and the surprising dexterity 

 which some men of ingenuity and attention acquire in this 

 department, is as valuable to the employer, as it is beautiful 

 and interesting to the spectator who examines it. The main 

 thing, which the pickman has here to study, is never to strike 

 across the roots, but as much as possible in the line of their 

 elongation, always standing in the right line of divergence 

 from the tree as a centre ; that is, in such a line or lines, as 

 the rays of the sun are represented to describe, in emanating 

 from that luminous body. In striking the picker into the 

 ground, which must sometimes be done pretty deeply, there 

 is a certain dexterous shake, more easily understood than 



