MAY BB TRANSPLANTED. 469 



principle. The tree was rooted equally well with any of its contem- 

 poraries, hut it had no ball ; hence it was difficult to rear upright, and 

 notwithstanding every care in propping, the first high wind laid it 

 prostrate, when it was not considered worthy of further trouble." 



His mode of proceeding, after the trees were deposited in the places 

 intended for them, is described thus : — "In placing the tree on its new site, 

 nothing more is necessary than to have a good hole made a foot or more 

 wider every way than the roots extend. A roadway for the truck is cut 

 from the natural surface to the bottom of the hole, and on the opposite 

 side means are afforded for the horses to get out of the hole. The truck 

 being in the middle of the latter, loosen the chain, take out the pole, 

 bring down the head of the tree, so as to allow the edge of the ball to 

 touch the bottom of the hole, then draw out the truck ; and should the tree 

 not have got quite an upright position, puU the ropes to render it so, at 

 the same time packing the ball with fine soU, until it stands upright of 

 itseK. Every root that has been injured in taking up, should now be 

 cut smooth, and every one laid out as straight and natural as possible, 

 resembling the rays of a circle, great care being taken to pack fine soil 

 firmly round the ball, and. to surround ' every fibre with the best and 

 finest soil, imtU every root is covered. Immediately after transplanting, 

 every tree was mulched with old thatch, as far as the roots extended ; 

 and they also had a covering of about half an inch of straw around 

 their stems; from eight to twelve feet from the ground. This was done 

 principally with the view of lessening the demand made upon the tree 

 by evaporation. The straw was found to keep damp a considerable 

 time after every rain. A ridge of soil was also placed around each 

 tree, at the extremity of the roots, forming a sort of cup ; and I have 

 -frequently seen water standing in these cups half an hour after heavy 

 rain, during the second summer after planting, as by this time, from 

 various causes, the mulch had disappeared, and the surface was firm, 

 owing to the constant treading of sheep, which were allowed to feed 

 among the trees duriag the second summer after planting, and which 

 was, no doubt, favourable to them. No further care was bestowed or 

 considered necessary; and no tree was ever watered, except during 

 the first three weeks after transplanting, when the water-cart was used 

 to most of the two groups of Hornbeam at the time they were in green 

 leaf; and it was thought that thereby an early root action would be 

 induced." 



The precise fate of each tree is described in a set of tables, from 

 which we gather two or three striking facts. A Beech-tree, forty-two 

 feet high, made wood twelve inches long the first year, and seven 

 inches in the two succeeding years; another, forty-eight feet high, 

 made eight inches in the first year, and eight and six inches afterwards; 

 another, forty-nine feet high, which did not make more than four 

 inches of shoot the first year, made sLs the second, and eight the third 



