PLANTING. 



367 



shrubs, the whole order of Conifers, the Almond, 

 Broom, Aralia, Arbutus, Baccharis, Birch, Beech, 

 Caragana, Cistus, Colutea, Crataegus, Cytisus, 

 Genista, Holly, with the whole genus Ilex, the 

 Juniper, Lonicera, Mespilus, Mulberry, Phyllerea, 

 Pyracantha, Quercus, Rhus, Rosa, Robinia, 

 Sweet Bay, Ulex, Walnut, &c, are much less 

 impatient of transplanting when of a large size 

 than are the Poplar, Willow, Alder, Ash, Azalea, 

 Rhododendron, Kalmia, Ledum, Aucuba, Ligus- 

 trum, Buxus, Portugal and common Laurel, 

 Cornus, Tilia, Syringa, Ribes, Spira3a, Laurus- 

 tinus, &c. &c. American plants in general 

 transplant well, on account of their numerous 

 fine hair-like roots, which cause the soil to ad- 

 here to them in large masses. Without balls, 

 however, they would rank amongst the most 

 difficult of all. Plants with long tap-roots, with 

 few fibres, are very difficult to move; and 

 others whose soft spongy roots, when broken or 

 cut, do not readily heal, are equally so. 



The proper size for transplanting. — This varies 

 with the sort of tree as well as with its age. It 

 is, however, a maxim settled both amongst theo- 

 rists and practical men, that health, immediate 

 vigour, and duration, are all greatly promoted 

 by transplanting all trees of a small size, as well 

 as while they are comparatively young. It often 

 happens, however, from a variety of causes, that 

 large trees must be transplanted to attain cer- 

 tain ends. This indeed may be done, and is 

 done, but the success depends much on the way 

 the operation has been performed. But trans- 

 planting large trees, even with the greatest care 

 and judgment, affects them more or less, and 

 a long period of rest or feeble growth must be 

 expected to follow; while in planting young 

 trees, they commence a vigorous state of growth, 

 and often attain a great size long before the 

 large trees have fairly arrived again at a healthy 

 condition. " The small tree, transplanted with 

 its system of roots and branches entire, suffers 

 little or no check ; the older and larger tree, 

 losing part of its roots, requires several years to 

 resume its former vigour. The constitution of 

 the smaller tree is healthy and unimpaired, 

 that of the large is frequently enfeebled." — 

 Downing. 



The first successful attempt at removing very 

 large trees of which we have any certain know- 

 ledge, was that of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, 

 the grandfather of His Royal Highness Prince 

 Albert, who transplanted chestnut trees of 30 or 

 40 feet in height. Capability Brown, Sir Henry 

 Steuart, and others in our own country, have 

 since performed great feats in this way ; but by 

 far the most successful transplanter of trees of 

 extraordinary dimensions is certainly Mr Bar- 

 ron of Elveston near Derby. In his recently 

 published work, " The British Winter Garden," 

 he informs us that his first attempt in this way 

 was upon three cedars of Lebanon, " varying in 

 height from 28 to 35 feet, and the diameter of 

 their branches from 25 to 30 feet, with trunks 

 varying from 3 to 4 feet in circumference." 

 That these trees suffered not by removal is 

 evident from the following table of dimen- 

 sions, taken when transplanted, and again in 

 1852:— 



Height of 



Circumference 



Height of same 



Circumference 



trees in 



of trunk in 



trees in 



of trunks in 



1831. 



1831. 



1852. 



1852. 



28 feet 



4 feet 



46 feet 



6 feet 1 in. 



32 „ 



3 „ 



55 „ 6 in. 



6 » 3 „ 



35 „ 



3 „ 



58 „ 6 „ 



6 „ 



" The success," Mr Barron observes, " which 

 attended these operations, led to a bolder at- 

 tempt the following November. A large cedar 

 of Lebanon, measuring in height 33 feet, dia- 

 meter of branches 48 feet, and circumference of 

 stem (one foot from the ground) 6 feet, was re- 

 moved to the distance of between two and three 

 hundred yards ; and with due attention to both 

 branch and root watering the following sum- 

 mer, the result was satisfactory, as its compara- 

 tive dimensions now show : viz., when planted 

 in 1831 its height was 33 feet, and circumfer- 

 ence of stem 6 feet ; it is now (1852) 44 feet in 

 height, and 7 feet 10 inches in girth of stem. 

 Yews of a very large size, some of which are 

 supposed to have been several centuries old 

 when purchased by the late Earl of Harrington, 

 have been removed a distance of 10, 12, and 25 

 miles. The dimensions of two of them are given 

 by Mr Barron as follows : First, " Trunk at 3 

 feet from the ground, 7 feet 3 inches in circum- 

 ference ; height 33 feet." Second, " An old yew, 

 which forms an arbour 14 feet 2 inches high, 

 and 59 feet 9 inches in circumference " round 

 the branches, the girth of the trunk being 7 feet 

 4 inches. These are perhaps the oldest if not 

 the largest trees that have ever been success- 

 fully transplanted in the world. 



In planting fruit trees most judicious garden- 

 ers prefer what are called maiden fruit-trees — 

 that is, one year after being grafted— while others 

 prefer trees two years from the graft. Much, 

 however, here depends on the kind of tree and 

 the mode of training to be adopted. Fruit 

 trees of greater age are often planted — indeed, 

 when coming into a bearing state, such trees 

 will produce fruit sooner ; but there can be no 

 doubt, taking into consideration health, duration, 

 and the ease with which a maiden or even a one- 

 year-trained tree can be made to grow into any 

 form, that either of these is preferable. Fruit 

 trees, however, like all others, may be success- 

 fully transplanted almost of any age and size, if 

 the requisite precautions be taken. 



Preparing trees for transplanting. — Trees or 

 shrubs taken from the nursery in a young state 

 require no other preparation beyond being 

 carefully taken out of the ground with their 

 roots as little curtailed or injured as possible. 

 The case is wholly different when trees or 

 shrubs of a large size and age are to be trans- 

 ferred from one place to another. The late Sir 

 Henry Steuart wrote a whole book almost upon 

 this subject, without, it would appear, having 

 been aware that the very rules he endeavoured 

 to inculcate as new had been practised for more 

 than a century before. The whole rationale of 

 the system consists in shortening the leading 

 roots at a proper distance from the stem, which 

 distance must ever be governed by the size of 

 the tree to be operated upon ; and this is done 



