158 Planting Trees. 



Art. IV. Planting Trees. By Wm. Saunders, Baltimore. 



I WAS much interested in perusing the remarks on pear 

 culture by the members of the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society ; such information is valuable, being the result of 

 practical observation. I hope these "conversations" will be 

 imitated by other societies, and the results made known. 

 Many useful facts may thus be elicited, that, otherwise, 

 would never have received publicity. At the meeting in 

 question there were some remarks made on fall and spring 

 planting, which does not accord with my experience, and as 

 the subject is an important one, I beg to draw the attention 

 of cultivators to it. The following is the remark I allude to : 

 " No roots can be formed on any tree unless there is some 

 growth made." If by this we are to understand that fresh 

 roots cannot be formed without a visible corresponding ex- 

 tension of branches, it does not agree with facts. We have 

 many instances of the formation of roots on leafless plants. 

 The rooting of leafless cuttings is familiar to every one who 

 has propagated by this means. These roots are undoubtedly 

 due to the previous elaborative action of the foliage, but it 

 proves that roots can be formed without the immediate action 

 of leaves. It is on this account that fall is preferable to 

 spring planting. Trees will furnish themselves with a sup- 

 ply of fresh roots (if planted immediately on the fall of the 

 leaf) before cold reaches deep enough to prevent vegetation, 

 which does not occur so soon as might be supposed. The 

 earth parts slowly with the heat accumulated during summer. 

 I do not consider that the advantages of fall transplanting 

 arise from the circumstance that " the ground becomes set- 

 tled, and the roots ready to strike into the ground the mo- 

 ment the frost disappears in spring," as I have observed that 

 the frost will be out of the ground some time before sufficient 

 heat is absorbed to promote growth, unless on the mere sur- 

 face. I look upon a tree planted early in the fall as being 

 placed under similar conditions to a cutting placed in bottom 

 heat to form roots — the soil warmer than the air — which 



