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HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 



" Treatise on transplanting Evergreens," says : 

 " Evergreens may be planted with much greater 

 safety in mild weather in autumn or winter, than 

 at any other period of the year" Another author- 

 ity remarks that evergreens may be transplanted 

 in autumn, or at any time in open moist wea- 

 ther during autumn, winter, or early spring. In 

 dry or frosty weather it is always dangerous to 

 remove them, because the sap in an evergreen 

 is more or less in motion at every season of the 

 year, and the plant is never so completely dor- 

 mant as deciduous trees are. In regard to the 

 season of performing the operation, we have the 

 following reasoning by Mr Glendinning, in the 

 " Journal of the Horticultural Society of Lon- 

 don," vol. iv. p. 41 : " This I consider to be a 

 much more important matter than many seem 

 to imagine. The winter months — that is, from 

 the end of October to the beginning of April — 

 have been generally recommended ; indeed, al- 

 most universally so. From these opinions / 

 entirely dissent, how eminent soever the autho- 

 rities may be who have laid them down. I quite 

 admit that a qualified success may have attended 

 their operations; but I deny, independently of 

 this, that it is the right season for the execution 

 of such work, and the slightest acquaintance 

 with vegetable physiology will conclusively de- 

 monstrate the truth of this assertion. Let it be 

 clearly understood that I am alluding to plants 

 of from 6 to 30 feet and upwards in height, and 

 not to mere nursery stock," which are frequently 

 removed to keep them in a transportable state. 

 Mr Glendinning, passing over the details of the 

 ascent and descent of the fluids in plants, and 

 the formation and deposition annually of new 

 wood in all ligneous vegetation, proceeds : 

 " It will be sufficient for my purpose to 

 state that this extension and formation takes 

 place chiefly after midsummer, and principally 

 in evergreens during autumn, when the young 

 shoots begin to attain a certain degree of con- 

 sistency. It is during this downward tendency 

 of the fluids, and when the solar action is in 

 some measure on the decline, that I should 

 seize and conduct with all rapidity the opera- 

 tions of transplanting ; and if this is intended 

 to be conducted extensively, I should recom- 

 mend the end of August as a good time to be- 

 gin, September being the safest month in the 

 year, selecting such plants to commence with 

 as have matured their shoots. Another and 

 very important reason remains to be stated why 

 autumn is to be preferred, for undertakings of 

 this kind, in preference to winter. The force of 

 the sun during summer, although now on the 

 decline, has warmed the earth to a considerable 

 degree and depth, so that the mutilated roots 

 are comparatively situated on a gentle bottom- 

 heat, which rapidly promotes cicatrisation, and 

 frequently aids the emission of young spongio- 

 lets during the current autumn. The season 

 which I have here ventured to urge for the per- 

 formance of the work under consideration as 

 undeniably theoretically the right period, appears 

 beyond all question ; and being no mean expe- 

 rimentalist in rui'al embellishment with plants 

 of considerable magnitude, I can attest also that 

 it is practically the season to be preferred be- 



yond all others. I had occasion to superintend 

 the removal of upwards of two thousand trees 

 and shrubs, all evergreens, and varying in size 

 from 6 to 40 feet high, during: one autumn." 

 The trees were prepared by cutting in the roots 

 the previous spring, "and as the undertaking 

 was rather gigantic, the work was begun in 

 August, and finished with the year. The result 

 was, of course, watched with some interest; and 

 the following summer, when an examination 

 took place, I found that those trees which were 

 transplanted early in the season indicated little 

 change from their removal; but the contrary 

 was the case with those which had undergone 

 similar transplantation during December. In 

 fact, the gradual diminution of the motion of 

 the sap, accompanied with declining atmospheric 

 action, which tended, in conjunction with the 

 usual autumnal precipitations, to cool and satu- 

 rate the earth, clearly and progressively exhi- 

 bited our comparative success. The exact period 

 to commence these operations must be deter- 

 mined by the nature of the season, and the state 

 of maturity the current year's growth has at- 

 tained. In some seasons an earlier beginning 

 may be made than in others ; some kinds of 

 plants also ripen their wood much earlier than 

 others : these, therefore, should receive the 

 earliest attention. In hot and dry autumns 

 the foliage of some of the larger specimens of 

 certain species and varieties, especially such as 

 have large and succulent leaves, will flag and 

 droop. To guard against any injury arising from 

 this, it will be advisable to well water the roots 

 at planting — not with cold water from the well, 

 but from the pond, where it has been exposed 

 to the sun. With specimens of great rarity and 

 value it would amply repay the additional trouble 

 to occasionally syringe the foliage in the even- 

 ing for a short period after planting. This, 

 however, will not be required should the weather 

 be cloudy or moist." Here we have not only 

 good practical rules laid down, but physiological 

 reasons given for them. In Mr Glendinning's 

 views we quite concur as to the season of plant- 

 ing. It happens, however, unfortunately, that at 

 this particular period, August and September, 

 our flower-gardens and dressed grounds are 

 expected to be in the highest state of keeping, 

 because it is at that time that proprietors most 

 generally reside at their country residences. The 

 necessary confusion caused by the removal of a 

 great number of evergreens at that time would 

 be highly inconvenient. This, however, does 

 not affect the principle of the reasoning given 

 above ; nor should it make us lose the oppor- 

 tunity of transplanting evergreens in woods 

 and plantations, and in these cases the proper 

 season should not be lost sight of ; and again, if 

 the operation is to be carried out upon a large 

 scale, it is much better even to sacrifice the 

 appearance of the grounds for one autumn than 

 to lose the chance of a favourable time for per- 

 forming the operation. 



The formation of roots is the first effort of 

 every tree after transplanting ; and hence the 

 importance of August, September, or October 

 planting, because there is sufficient solar heat 

 in the soil to aid them in this effort, which 



