TRANSPLANTING. 



65 



the common destruction of the roots in taking them up. Figs. 

 100 and 102 represent a nursery tree with its roots entire; the 

 dotted lines show where the spade is commonly set for the 

 purpose of lifting ; Fig. 98 is the tree after taken up, when 

 more than nine-tenths of the roots are cut off— sometimes it is 

 as badly mutilated as in Fig. 99. Fig. 10 1 exhibits the same 

 as removed by careful nurserymen. 



In late years, H new body of advice respecting the trimming 

 of transplanted trees has come into vogue. It is the String- 

 fellow or stub-root system. 

 It advises that the roots be 

 cut to mere stubs, and that 

 the tops be cut to sharp 

 sticks or whips. The theory 

 is that trees which are so 

 reduced in bulk approach 

 nearer to the condition of a 

 seedling, and that the re- 

 sulting trees are better. Ex- 

 periments show tke opera- 

 tion to be sometimes good, 

 sometimes not. It depends 

 upon conditions. Probably 

 it cannot be recommended 

 as a general practice. 



In ordinary or even very careful practice, a part of this wide 

 network of fibres must necessarily be separated from the tree. 

 It is evident then, that the usual supplies of sap to the leaves 

 must be in part cut off. Now the leaves are constantly (dur- 

 ing day) throwing oflE insensible moisture into the air; and 

 good-sized ti-ees thus give off daily many pounds. Reduce 

 the supply from below, and the leaves cannot flourish; and 

 if the reduction is severe, the tree withers and dies. 



The remedy consists in lessening the number of leaves, so 

 as to correspond with the diminished supply. This may be 

 done by shortening back every shoot of the previous year to 

 one-quarter of its length, and in extreme cases every shoot 

 may be shortened back to one strong bud, just above the pre- 

 vious year's wood. Cutting off large branches at random 

 often quite spoils the shape. Fig. 103 represents an un- 



FIG. 



-Cutting o£ the Roots in Trans- 

 planting. 



