292 APPLICATION' OF PKINCIPLES. 



conveyed without disturbance to its intended site. 

 This operation, which is the best possible for hardy 

 trees of great size, but expensive, and therefore only 

 capable of application in a limited degree, owes its 

 success entirely to the young and tender fibres being 

 placed in such a position that they cannot be injured 

 by the act of transport. 



Under all ordinary circumstances, the roots must 

 necessarily be injured more or less by removal ; in 

 that case, all the larger wounds should be cut to a 

 clean smooth face ; not in long ragged slivers, as is 

 often the case, and which is only substituting one 

 kind of mutilation for another, but at an angle of 

 about 45°, or less. If the ends of small roots are 

 bruised, they generally die back a little way, and ' 

 then emit fresh spongioles; but the larger roots, when 

 bruised, lose the vitality of their broken extremity, 

 their ragged tissue remains open to the uncontrolled 

 introduction of water, decays in consequence of being 

 in contact with an excess of this fluid, and often 

 becomes the seat of disease which sj^reads to parts 

 that would otherwise be healthy. When, however, 

 the wound is made clean by a skilful pruner, the ves- 

 sels all contract, and prevent the introduction of an 

 excess of water into the interior ; the wound heals by 

 granulations formed by the living tissue, and the 

 readiness with which this takes place is in proportion 

 to the smallness of the wound. It may be sometimes 

 advantageous to remove large parts of the coarser 

 roots of a tree, even if they are not accidentally 

 wounded when taken up, the object being to compel 



