366 



HAEDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



would be in most cases such as the mere force of 

 their elongation would be unable to overcome ; 

 . and the consequence would be, that they would 

 have a twisted, knotted form, that would be un- 

 favourable to the rapid transmission of fluid, 

 which is their peculiar oifice. Lengthening, 

 however, only at the extremities, and then by 

 the continual formation of new matter at their 

 advancing point, they insinuate themselves with 

 the greatest facility between the crevices of the 

 soil. Once insinuated, the force of horizontal 

 expansion speedily enlarges the cavity; and if 

 they encounter any obstacle which is absolutely 

 insurmountable, they simply stop, cease growing 

 in that particular direction, and follow the sur- 

 face of opposing matter, till they again find 

 themselves in a soft medium." 



Replanting the grov/nd formerly occupied with 

 trees. — Never plant trees in the same spot where 

 an old tree stood before, as the ground has be- 

 come exhausted of that very food upon which 

 only the young tree would have to depend for 

 its support. The ground, however, in such cases 

 as that of wall-tree borders, may be removed, 

 and fresh soil brought to replace it. Other rea- 

 sons have also been assigned for this, the prin- 

 cipal of which are those of Brugmans and Ma- 

 caire, who believed that the roots of plants 

 return a portion of their peculiar secretions back 

 again into the soil. More recent and more 

 satisfactory experiments have not strengthened 

 their opinions, but so far reversed them, that 

 the root secretions are now regarded as unim- 

 portant, if not altogether apocryphal, except in 

 cases where the roots have been wounded. 



Supporting trees after transplanting. — This is 

 an important operation, and deserves much 

 more attention than has hitherto been paid to 

 the subject. When a tree or shrub is removed 

 to a new place, the operation of lifting, be it 

 ever so carefully done, destroys many of the 

 extreme points of the roots, all of which act as 

 subterranean guys, maintaining the tree in an 

 upright position, and resisting the severest gales 

 that blow. They in this case exemplify one of 

 those many and wonderful' provisions made by 

 the Creator of all that is good and perfect, even 

 in the economy of the vegetable kingdom. The 

 roots here perform a compound office — they col- 

 lect and prepare the necessary food for the 

 plant, and at the same time, by their united 

 strength, support it in that position in which 

 only it could exist. These supports, therefore, 

 being out off, artificial ones must be provided, 

 until the trees are re-established again. In 

 planting fruit trees against walls, the branches 

 should be immediately attached to them, to 

 prevent their being broken, or the bark injured 

 by friction (the necessary pruning to be attended 

 to in spring). Standard trees of whatever size, 

 as well as shrubs, demand attention in this re- 

 spect, as they are more exposed to the action of 

 the wind. If they are small, single stakes will 

 be sufficient ; but if large, stronger poles, and of 

 greater length, will be required, and these should 

 be placed in n, triangular form, let into the 

 ground at a proper distance from the roots, and 

 brought together at the tops, in such a way and 

 at such a point as shall best act by there oppos- 



ing resistance in maintaining the perpendicular 

 position of the tree. Care must, however, be 

 taken that a collar of some elastic or soft mate- 

 rial, such as straw, shavings, moss, guttarpercha, 

 &c., be placed at the point of pressure, to pre- 

 vent the bark being injured by friction, or in- 

 deed extreme pressure during high winds. 



There are many ways of supporting newly- 

 transplanted trees and shrubs. Some make use 

 of strong wire made fast to them at a consider- 

 able height, and fastened to stout pegs driven 

 into the ground, forming with the surface an 

 angle of 45°; while others use cords or ropes of 

 various strengths, according to the size and ex- 

 posure of the trees. No doubt either of the 

 latter are more light and elegant, so far as ap- 

 pearance goes, and therefore well fitted for use 

 in the ornamental parts of the grounds, but 

 neither are so strong or so steady in their sup- 

 port as larch or other poles set against them in 

 a triangular form. The injury done to newly- 

 transplanted trees, for want of such precautions, 

 is very great : the strain upon the roots is con- 

 siderable, and in spring, when our severe winds 

 occur, the first efibrts made by them in the for- 

 mation of new roots are often completely de- 

 stroyed; and from the constant waving about of 

 the head of an unsupported tree, a cavity is 

 formed in the soil at the base of the stems, 

 which, increasing in size, admits both water and 

 too much air to the roots, both of which are 

 injurious to them; but the great mischief is 

 the derangement of the roots. 



Change of climate injurious to newly-trans- 

 planted trees. — Much of the want of success in 

 forming new plantations arises from the circum- 

 stance of the sudden transition from the climate 

 of a snug well-sheltered nursery to the open 

 bleak exposure of an open park or unsheltered 

 plain. " The comparatively dry state of the 

 atmosphere in the latter is not the least pro- 

 minent source of the injury. Wherever vegeta- 

 tion is scanty, there will the atmosphere be defi- 

 cient in moisture — a subjectof great importance, 

 when considered in relation to the progress of 

 young trees. And as vegetation not only par- 

 ticipates in the benefits, but materially augments 

 the atmospheric moisture of a district, it follows 

 that, by employing other trees as shelter to 

 those we are most solicitous about, we combine 

 several essentials to success — viz., breaking the 

 force of the winds, affording a gentle shelter, 

 and condensing and retaining a large amount of 

 moisture." — Hints on Planting Ornamental Trees, 

 ^c, p. 12. The same effects apply to trans- 

 planting trees of any size from thickly-planted 

 woods, and placing them as single specimens or 

 in small groups in open parks, exposed to more 

 air, cold, and evaporation than in the atmosphere 

 in which they were accustomed to grow. This 

 is a prevalent source of failure in transplanting, 

 and seldom attributed to the real cause. 



SoTne trees are more difficult to transplant than 

 others. — Of fruit-bearing trees, the cherry, parti- 

 cularly when large, is the least successfully 

 removed; and next to that the apricot, nectarine, 

 peach, pear, apple, and quince, their facility in 

 transplanting being in the order in which we 

 have placed them. Of ornamental trees and 



