OF TBANSPLANTING. 291 



or if the rude nursery practice, justly enough called 

 drawing, is employed, a large part of the most valua- 

 ble roots must necessarily be cut off or destroyed by 

 tearing. The greatest difficulty, beyond that of 

 mechanical removal, in transplanting trees of consi- 

 derable size, is this preservation of roots ; and, if it 

 were possible to carry without injury such heavy 

 masses as old forest trees, there is no physical obstacle 

 to transplanting them, if 'the extrication of the fibrous 

 part of the roots be secured, which is not impracti- 

 cable. As, however, the latter is a troublesome and 

 very difficult operation, even when trees are only ten 

 or twelve feet high, it has been, from time out of 

 mind, the custom of skilful planters to prepare such 

 trees for removal by cutting back their main roots 

 one year before they are to be transplanted ; if this 

 very simple operation is properly performed, all the 

 principal limbs, so amputated, will emit young fibres 

 in abundance from their extremities, and the gardener, 

 from knowing where to find those roots, can easily 

 take them up without material injury. In order to 

 effect the same end, but in another way, the following 

 expedient has been occasionally employed for large 

 trees. A deep trench has been opened, in midwinter, 

 round a stem, at such a distance as to be clear of the 

 principal fibres ; the tree has then been carefully 

 undermined, till, at last, the earth belonging to it has 

 formed a huge ball ; upon the approach of frost, 

 water has been freely poured over the ball so that its 

 whole surface may be converted into an icy mass ; in 

 that state it has been raised by powerful tackle, and 



