188 Prussian Horticultural Society. 



17. On shortening the Tap-roots of Plants, By Mr. F. Masseli 



of Militsch. 



18. Anonymous Remarks on the foregoing Treatise. 



1 9. Opinion of the Committee on the foregoing Treatise, and Remarks. 



20. Anonymous Remarks on the Opinion of the Committee. 



21. Illustration of the foregoing Anonymous Remarks. By Mr. 



Lenne. 



Mr. Masseli has found that shortening the tap-roots of 

 stocks for fruit-trees, a practice which would seem to be new 

 about Berlin, increased the production of lateral fibres, and, as 

 he said, made the stock grow faster and stronger. He thinks 

 the same practice may be advantageously applied to young 

 forest-trees, on which the anonymous remarker observes, 

 that it has long been the practice in that department of 

 gardening; and quotes, in proof, from the works of the 

 forresters Burgsdorff and Hartig. These authors very pro- 

 perly observe, that in transplanting trees, it is impossible to 

 avoid breaking the tap-root, if the tree is five or six feet 

 high ; and that, therefore, it becomes advantageous to move 

 the tree two or three times in the nursery, shortening every 

 time the perpendicular roots. The committee, after a good 

 deal of discussion, come to the conclusion " that shortening 

 the tap-root is a necessary evil, which should only be allowed 

 under certain circumstances ; that, therefore, it is absolutely 

 improper with young plants, that are transplanted at once 

 to the spot where they are finally to remain ; with some 

 others, however, it is necessary, as a preparation for their 

 future transplantation, and in that case gardeners should 

 proceed with more care than is generally employed." This 

 last remark is an allusion to what was stated by one of the 

 writers, that in forest-tree nurseries the seedling plants were 

 taken in large handfuls, and their tap-roots chopped off with 

 an axe, by a labourer, who did not know what he was doing. 



22. Experimental Observations on the Culture of the Bletia Tan- 

 kervillece. By Mr. Otto, Inspector of the Botanic Garden in 

 Berlin. 



The soil he recommends is one part of leaf-mould, one of 

 peat-earth, and one of river-sand ; the pots should be 

 plunged ; and very little water given when the roots are not 

 in a growing state. The plant, Mr. Otto considers as an 

 epiphyte. 



23. On the Culture of the Ferraria Pavonia. By Mr. L. Mathieu. 

 This plant, about Berlin, is grown in pots; but there is 



nothing new to us, on this side of the water, in Mr. Mathieu's 



