304 SIR HENRY STEUART'S METHOD 



in proportion to their girth, — and they send out 

 extremely few side shoots. The last mentioned 

 fact makes them deficient also in another of the 

 protecting properties, namely, extent, balance and 

 closeness of branches. But the branches and roots 

 being relative and co-relative, that is, mutually de- 

 pendant on each other, it follows that a deficiency 

 in the former implies a like deficiency in the latter. 

 Thus, trees growing together in thick woods or 

 groves, will be found to possess none of the protect- 

 ing properties, in such a degree as to render them 

 eligible for transplantation ; and it is proper to re- 

 mark here, that Sir Henry Steuart's first experi- 

 ments were made on trees of this kind ; which ex- 

 periments, as he informs us, succeeded extremely ill. 

 We have, therefore, a practical demonstration of 

 what has now been advanced, independently of 

 theory altogether. 



The transplanter of large trees should therefore 

 endeavour to find his subjects, if possible, in situa- 

 tions well exposed to the rigours of the climate. 

 Trees that grow singly are the best ; and next to 

 them, in the possession of the protecting properties, 

 such as may be found in single rows, narrow belts, 

 and small clumps. If he cannot command a suffi- 

 cient number of these, he must have recourse to art„ 



