294 APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES. 



By many excellent planters, the advantage of de- 

 luging the roots with water, when newly planted, is 

 much insisted on : and in the case of large plants, 

 particularly evergreens, it is, undoubtedly, an essen- 

 tial process, partly because it causes the flagging and 

 injured roots to be immediately surrounded by an 

 abundant supply of liquid food, which, if the opera- 

 tion be skilfully performed (see Macnab's Treatise, p. 

 24 and 25), will not subsequently fail them; and 

 partly because it is the only means we possess of 

 embedding with certainty all the fibres in soil. 

 When the earth is reduced to the state of puddle, it 

 will settle round the finest roots, and place them as 

 nearly as possible in the same condition, with regard 

 to the soil, that they were in before the plants were 

 removed. But the operation of puddling is unneces- 

 sary to small plants, if removed at a proper season 

 of the year, especially to deciduous trees of all kinds ; 

 and it may be very injurious. This was long ago 

 stated by Mr. Knight {Hort. Trans., iii. 159), who 

 found by experience that when trees are very much 

 out of health, in consequence of having become dry, 

 excess of moisture to the roots is often fatal. This 

 appears to arise from the languid powers of the 

 plant being insufficient to enable it to decompose and 

 assimilate the water rapidly introduced into its system 

 through the wounds in its root, and by the hygrome- 

 trical force of that part ; under such circumstances, 

 water will dissolve the mucilaginous and other mat- 

 ters intended for the support of the nascent buds, 

 which matters then putrefy, lose their nutritive qua- 



