NOTES ox FOREST AND OHXA \LKNTAL TREES. 13 



fall ell' before clik! time,, and that even the extremity of the shoots 

 ;hemselve> die in August and September. The hardwoods and many 

 il'tTs. on the other hand., put on a growth which is determinate for 

 iort intervals: that is, shoots of a few inches in length are rapidly 

 iade from winter buds, then a period of rest in terminal growth ensues, 

 irrespective of conditions. During this time, the leaves develop their 

 <ixe. the tissues mature, and the terminal buds swell and assume a form 

 imilar to the winter buds, but with all their scales unhardened, or 

 ^mbryonic. If the conditions for growth still remain favorable, the 

 ;eriod of maturing is again broken by a short period of quick terminal 

 i\>wth: if, on the contrary, a scarcity of moisture occurs, the period of 

 peel will be accordingly prolonged. In this way, the growth of these 

 frees takes place by a series of periods of alternatingly increasing and 

 ua tu ring their tissues. The arrangement of branches into tiers marks 

 periods in after life. The above manner of growing is noticeable 

 in most of our oaks, especially in young Live oaks and Water oaks, and 

 in a great number of connifers. 



It is not to be supposed that trees with long tap root continue as 

 nich for any length of time on a hard, impervious, and sterile subsoil, 

 Mich as ours; but that the tap root is soon abandoned for surface feed- 

 ing laterals. The greater success of the oaks is enduring our condi- 

 tions, I consider mainly due to the intermittent growth, by which they 

 ire more enabled to meet extremes than plants of continuous growth. 

 these trees grow older, the numKer of periods for a given season 

 jecoir.es reduced ; so that, in old, matured trees, only one period occurs, 

 ind this in the early part of the season. From these observations, it 

 lay be inferred that trees with intermittent growth are well adapted to 

 indure in regions with irregular supply of moisture. 



I'lJAXSPLAXTIXG OAKS AXD CONXIFERS. 



Transplanting is most readily done with all trees when they are quite 

 young; yet some trees can be transplanted with considerable ease later 

 in life, which holds good for most of our soft woods. Hardwoods with 

 long tap root and the evergreens are easily stunted and crippled for life, 

 rhen transplanted after a growth of several years. It is, therefore, 

 >es1 to transplant them into new nursery rows after the first year's 

 growth: if it should not, at that age, be desirable to put them in per- 

 manent place. At that early age, the tap root of oaks produces laterals 

 with ure-iter ease after being cut back than later. Water oak often 

 produces laterals in the first year without transplanting and is, there- 

 fore, more easily transplanted than any other oak that I have handled; 

 Live oak, on the other hand, is easily stunted by transplanting, even 

 after only one year's growth. It is, therefore, best to plant the acorns 

 of this oak in boxes 12 to 18 inches deep, sunk into the soil. As soon 

 as the tap root reaches the obstructing bottom of the box, it will 

 bend and generally also produce laterals. Other obstructions may be 

 used ; for example, thin sheets of galvanized iron perforated so as to 

 form a sieve and sunk about 18 inches below the seedbed. This is Mr. 

 Kisien's method of forcing pecan seedlings to form lateral roots early. 

 It has undoubtedly the advantages over the box methods, as the tap 



