350 TREES. 



will be no hunger in heaven. It is the present state of affairs that, 

 at this moment, lies nearest to him. How, in other words, shall a 

 field, as bare as a desert, be at once enlivened with a few large trees ? 



Some ten or fifteen years ago, an ingenious Scotch baronet 

 Sir Henry Stuart published a goodly octavo to the world, which 

 apparently solved the whole mystery. And it was not all theory ; 

 for the baronet's own park was actually planted with forest trees of 

 various kinds oaks, ashes, elms, beeches, of all sizes, from twenty- 

 five to sixty feet in height, and with fine heads. The thing was not 

 only done, but the park was there, growing in the finest luxuriance ; 

 and half a dozen years after its creation, arboriculturists of every 

 degree, from Sir Walter Scott down to humble ditchers, went to 

 look at it, and pronounced it good, and the thing itself altogether 

 satisfactory. 



Sir Henry Stuart's process, though it fills a volume, may be com- 

 pressed into a paragraph. First, the greatest respect for the roots of 

 a tree, and some knowledge of the functions of the roots and branches ; 

 second, a pair of large wheels, with a strong axle and pole ; third, 

 practical skill and patience in executing the work. 



A great many disciples had Sir Henry ; and we, among the 

 number, bore our share in the purchase of a pair of wheels, and the 

 cost of moving some large trees, that for the most part failed. And 

 now, that Sir Henry's mode has rather fallen into disrepute, and is 

 looked upon as an impracticable thing for this country, it may be 

 time well employed to look a little into the cause of its failure, and 

 also to inquire if it is wholly and entirely a failure for us. 



Undeniably, then, the main cause of the failure, here, of the 

 Scotch mode of transplanting, lies in the difference of climate. He 

 who knows how much the success of a newly planted tree, of small 

 size, depends on the moist state of the atmosphere, when it begins 

 to grow in its new position, can easily see that its importance is 

 vastly greater to a large tree than a small one. It is the thirst of a 

 giant and the sufferings of a giant, accustomed to a large supply of 

 food, compared with that of a little child, which may be fed by the 

 spoonful. And when we compare the moisture of that foggy and 

 weeping climate of Scotia, with the hot, bright, dry atmosphere of 

 the United States, we can easily see that a tree at all stubborn, 



