HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 295 



Forrnation of the Head of the Tree.— Whether the tree has been grafted 

 low or high, its stem should be stopped at a convenient height for the growth 

 of the branches intended to form its head ; but, instead of keeping these 

 branches at a proper distance from each other, and only retaining a small 

 number, and allowing them to grow to a good length, the branches are all 

 preserved and cut very short at the end of every winter, without calculation, 

 without forethought, and without the direction of the bud which- has been 

 pruned on having been examined. 



The consequence of this improper mode of pruning is, that, after three or 

 four years the head of the apple tree is a shapeless bush, the numerous and 

 widely-ramified branches of which would hardly afford a passage for a cat, 

 although at a later period a man must pass among them. It would be better 

 to allow the trees to push freely, without employing the pruning knife at all 

 upon them, than to exhaust them in this manner, by inducing them to make 

 a number of shoots, most of which must be entirely cut off next year; for 

 the inevitable result of this bad pruning, besides exhaustion, is to necessitate 

 the amputation of strong branches with the saw which should have been cut 

 off with the pruning knife when first developed ; from these amputations with 

 the former instrument large wounds result, which only heal slowly and im- 

 perfectly ; and the decay of the wood arising from wounds not healed will 

 eventually produce the same effects as the neglected clefts of grafts. 



Taking up young Trees from the Nurseries. — ^Ve would gladly have said 

 that the apple trees are taken up from the nursery, but as their roots are 

 \evy often cut short by the spade, or by strokes of the mattock 5 or, having 

 been slightly uncovered, they are drawn violently out, so as to break all the 

 fibres, &q., that are twisted, we are obliged to say that they are torn up. 



Again, the plants are often left exposed to the air, which dries the fibres, 

 if any remain ; or to rain, which washes them ; or sometimes, even, to the de- 

 structive influence of frost. Yet it does not require much science to know 

 that roots intended to live and grow in the earth only, must suffer by ex- 

 posure to the air, to light, and to frost \ and that they should remain exposed 

 to these influences as short a time as possible. / 



The preservation of the leaves on the tree, if it has been transplanted at 

 a time when they are still in a tolerably fresh state* such as the beginning of 

 November, likewise affects the success of the operation. At the before-men- 

 tioned period, although the leaves may only remain on the branches for a 

 single day, the death of the small roots will be the result; because, as the 

 leaves, from the effects of light, continue to absorb the sap contained in the 

 tree, which latter can draw up no more nourishment from the soil, they con- 

 sequently dry up all the young and tender parts, such as the spongioles and 

 the recent shoots. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to take off the 

 leaves, if there are any, at the time when we transplant. 



