ON PLANTING. 241 
lating moisture. When such soil is to be planted in, the 
best form to give the bottom of the excavation is con- 
vex or dome-shaped, so that any water which may pass 
through the soil is carried off to the sides on its reaching 
the more elevated portion of the bottom ; and, to convey 
this casual flow to a distance beneath the root-bed, it 
will be well to have holes bored, say two in each pit, 
with a post-auger or other instrument. This will keep 
the roots from an excess of moisture, which would pos- 
sibly be injurious to them. On no account should the 
bottom of a pit in which a tree of large size is to be 
planted have a concave form, as the weight of the tree 
and of the earth thrown in around it will likely act in 
such a manner as to induce a distortion of the roots by 
throwing them out of their natural position, ‘which in 
most trees is at a sHght angle from the stem down- 
ward.’ 
“In instances where the roots of transplants, as in seed- 
lings, are so long that they inconvenience the planting 
of the tree, they are cut off, not entirely, but to a neces- 
sary length, as it has been found that by so doing the 
setting of the roots is hastened by the emission of root- 
lets from the wounds so made. It may also be borne in 
mind that it does not follow from allowing numerous 
roots to adhere to a tree on its being transplanted that 
each and every one of them will draw sustaining food 
from the soil. On the contrary, either from disposition, 
or from decay caused by contact with uncongenial expo- 
sure, many become unsustaining; and this fact, therefore, 
enforces the necessity of due attention being paid to the 
growth above ground, which should be pruned to con- 
form to the amount of nutriment likely to be supplied 
to it. 
“ Another necessary precaution, to prevent the displace- 
ment of the roots, when once placed in the ground, and 
to keep the tree from excessive oscillation, has to be 
considered. The usual plan adopted for such an emer- 
Tt. 
