434 On the Preparation of Strawberry Plants, §c. 



of its roots ruptured ; and the whole of these should be pre- 

 served as entire as is practicable. As each plant becomes 

 detached from the surrounding soil, the ground is closed 

 around it, and it remains till it is wanted ; but it should be 

 placed in its pot as early as the middle of February, if it be 

 not sooner removed. At this period innumerable radicles will 

 be seen to spring from the sides of the older roots, and these 

 readily extend themselves into any proper soil that is placed 

 in contact with them. I always employ soil of the richest 

 quality, and very finely reduced ; and a good deal of water, 

 holding manure in solution, is employed to occasion the 

 newly introduced soil to occupy all space previously vacant 

 in the pots. The plants are then in a state to be subjected 

 immediately to artificial heat. 



Having denied, in opposition to the generally received 

 opinion, that the slender fibrous roots of trees and plants, 

 having the habits of trees, are of annual duration only ; and 

 the subject being of much importance to the gardener, I will 

 state a few facts in support of my opinion. That many of the 

 fibrous roots usually perish in winter I admit ; but under 

 favourable circumstances I have seen a very large portion 

 perfectly alive and growing in the spring ; and in the last 

 year I tried the following experiment, the evidence of which 

 is, I think, conclusive. Having observed that Fig-trees of 

 some varieties are capable of ripening their fruit in much 

 higher temperature than others, I thought it expedient to try 

 whether the same variation of power to bear different degrees 

 of temperature did not exist in varieties of other species of 

 fruits. Young plants of different new varieties of Nectarines 

 were therefore placed in the stove in the spring of 1823, 



