344 TREES. 



poplars and willotre, have enough of this power to enable pieoes.'of 

 them to grow, when stuck into the ground, like Walking sticks, 

 without roots, it does not follow that all other trees will do, the 

 same. There are some anhnals which swallow prussic acid with 

 Impunity; but it is a dangerous experiment for all other animals. 

 What we mean to suggest,- therefore, is, that h? who would be a 

 successful transplanter, must have an almost religious respect for the 

 roots of trees. He must look upon them as the collectors of rev- 

 enue, the wardens of the ports, the great viaducte of all solids and 

 fluids that enter into the system of growth and verdure, which con- 

 stitute the tree proper. Oh, if one oouldi only teach hewera of 

 "tap-roots" and drawers of " laterals," the value of the whole system 

 of roots, — every thing, in short, that looks like, and is, aradkh,^ 

 then would. , nine tenth's of the difficulty of trajlsflanting be quite , 

 overcome, andJflie branches might be left pretty much to them- 

 selves! 



Now a tree, to be perfectly transplanted, ought to be taJsSn up 

 with its whole system of roots mtire. Thus removed and. carefully 

 replanted, at the proper dormant season, it need not suffer a'loas' of 

 the smallest bough, and ij; would scarcely feel its removal.,. Sjich 

 things are done every year, with this result, by really clever and ex- 

 perienced gardeners. We have seen apple-trees, ' large enough to 

 bear a couple of bushels of fruit, which were removed a dozen miles, 

 in the autumn, and made a luxuriant growth, and bore a fine crop 

 the next season. But the workman who handled them had gone 

 to the root of the business he undertook. 



The fact, however, cannot be denied, that in common practice 

 there are very few such perfect workmen. Trees (especially in the 

 nurseries.) are often taken up in haste, at a loss of a third, or even 

 sometimes half of their roots, and when received by the transplanter, 

 there is nothing to be done but tomake thMest of it. 



In order to do, this, we must look a little in advance, in order to 

 understand the philosophy of growth. In a few words, then; it 

 may be assumed that in a healthy tree, there is an exact " balance 

 of power " between the roots and the branches. 'The first may be 

 said to represent the stomach, and the second the lungs and pet- 

 fepiratory' system. The first coUects food for the tree; the other 



