360 



HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



art. Vine, a detail of them is here unnecessary. 

 The soils also for each kind of fruit tree will 

 be described under each. 



Early autumn transplanting has long been 

 recognised as a leading feature in good manage- 

 ment. It is founded on correct physiological 

 principles, and practical experience has con- 

 firmed the soundness of it. Miller, and since 

 his time most of the leading horticulturists of 

 this country, have been of opinion that imme- 

 diately after the fall of the leaf in autumn is 

 the best season for the operation, in all situa- 

 tions where the soil is dry; but others, differing 

 in this respect, recommend that the end of 

 February, or indeed until the sap is beginning 

 to rise, is to be preferred. This latter is an 

 extreme case, and if the soil is so wet as to 

 render this delay within even the verge of pro- 

 bability, this indicates a very unfit situation 

 for trees not actual aquatics. Many excellent 

 gardeners recommend transplanting so early in 

 autumn that even a considerable quantity of the 

 leaves in a mature and active state should still 

 remain on the trees ; for, they say, by the action 

 of such leaves the injuries which the roots may 

 sustain during the operation will be speedily 

 repaired, new roots will be produced, and the 

 plant will thereby become established before 

 winter, and be in a condition to start into growth 

 in spring, little, if at all, affected by its removal. 

 " Early in autumn is undoubtedly the best time, 

 considered physiologically, because then, whe- 

 ther the plants are with or without some of 

 their leaves, the wounds made in their roots 

 will begin to cicatrise, and to protrude granu- 

 lous matter, and in many cases even spongioles 

 immediately; and by the time spring arrives, 

 the plant, if it has been taken up with most of 

 its roots, will grow with as much vigour as if it 

 had not been transplanted. For obvious reasons, 

 the next best season to that immediately follow- 

 ing the fall of the leaf is the remainder of the 

 autumn, and the winter months during open 

 weather. There may be local reasons why the 

 beginning of spring may be preferable to au- 

 tumn, but such reasons can never apply gene- 

 rally. A second argument in favour of autumn 

 planting is the dampness of the atmosphere 

 which prevails at that season and during winter, 

 by which the perspiration through the bark is 

 lessened, and the demand made on the roots to 

 supply the waste is consequently diminished. 

 In spring, not only is the sun more powerful, 

 but drying winds generally prevail, which have 

 a constant tendency to drain the young branches 

 of their moisture. These drying winds are 

 much more injurious to newly-transplanted 

 evergreens than to deciduous trees, as will after- 

 wards appear." — Sub. Hort. In early autumn 

 the temperature of the soil is much higher than 

 it is in winter or spring, on account of the solar 

 heat absorbed by it during summer being still 

 retained in it ; and this warmth is of all things 

 the most favourable for the production of young 

 roots, a circumstance well known to gardeners. 

 This of itself is, in our opinion, sufficient ground 

 for insisting on early autumn planting. The 

 season of transplanting, as has been already re- 

 marked, extends from the latter end of September 



till the middle of February— that is, from the pe- 

 riod when the leaves begin to change colour until 

 the young fibres of the roots begin to form in 

 the spring. No doubt the operation may, and 

 often is, performed much later in spring, and 

 also sometimes, under peculiar circumstances, 

 even throughout the summer. In reference to 

 the former we may remark, that trees trans- 

 planted after the middle of March have not 

 justice done them. Many are afraid of even 

 October planting, because the leaves are still on 

 the trees. Let no such fears be entertained, 

 for if trees be planted then, they will push new 

 roots before the severe weather sets in, and will 

 so far have established themselves before the 

 first movement of the sap in spring. If trees 

 are not transplanted sufficiently early in autumn 

 to make new roots that season, it is much the 

 same as if they had not been planted till early 

 in spring; for new roots— the formation of which 

 is the primary effort of every transplanted tree — 

 will not and can not be formed during the dead 

 months of winter, the temperature in the soil be- 

 ing much too low to enable them to be so. If 

 transplanted in the end of September, or during 

 the month of October, in ordinary soils, the solar 

 heat absorbed during summer being still re- 

 tained, will have much the same effect upon 

 them, only in a somewhat less degree, as if they 

 were plunged in the genial heat of a moderate 

 hot-bed. The whole rationale of early autumn 

 transplanting is the warmth of the soil, and the 

 humidity then existing in the atmosphere. 



Downing bears similar testimony in favour of 

 autumn planting, and says, "that the best sea- 

 son for transplanting all deciduous trees is in 

 autumn, directly after the fall of the leaf. The 

 tree is then in a comparatively dormant state. 

 Transplanted at this early season, whatever 

 wounds may have been made in the roots com- 

 mence healing at once, as a deposit directly 

 takes place of granulous matter from the wound; 

 and when the spring arrives, the tree is already 

 somewhat established, and ready to commence 

 its growth. Autumn planting is for this reason 

 greatly to be preferred in all mild climates and 

 dry soils, and even for very hardy trees like 

 the apple, in cold latitudes, as the fixed position 

 in the ground which trees planted then get by 

 the autumnal and early spring rains gives them 

 an advantage at the next season of growth over 

 newly moved trees. Evergreens may also be 

 planted at the same season ; but with them, as 

 with deciduous ones also, the operation should 

 be suspended during frost, and, if possible, ad- 

 vantage taken of mild damp weather." 



Reasons for very early autumn transplanting. — 

 Winter and early spring are considered by many 

 experienced planters to be the very worst sea- 

 sons for transplanting large trees, whether ever- 

 green or deciduous, because at that period their 

 roots are in a comparatively inactive state, and 

 consequently must suffer from having to remain 

 long dormant, and unable to take hold of the 

 new soil so as to draw nourishment from it for 

 the support of the tree. Hence, such say that 

 summer, when they are in their most active 

 state, would be the proper season for this opera- 

 tion, provided we nad such a command over 



