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THE planter's GUIDE. 



vigour, and of sound and healthy wood ? All these are 

 gone, as Miller truly states ; all are utterly annihilated 

 by the rude assaults of the axe, which has left no trace 

 remaining of their existence. The most prominent and 

 characteristic features of the species, which mainly reside 

 in the top, have disappeared also by the same process : 

 for even when such trees do succeed, and acquire the 

 formal and hush-lihe head, common to all that are 

 removed after the mutilating method, " it is seldom," as 

 Pontey observes, " that they harmonise with any thing 

 about them."'"" On comparing them with plants raised 

 from the nursery, or the seed, we perceive but a small 

 saving of time in favour of this system : yet it is time 

 saved with the infliction of such evils, and the sacrifice of 

 such advantages, as to render it any thing but desirable 

 to the planter of taste. 



On the other hand, we will suppose the same planter to 

 transfer a tree of similar description and dimensions to a 

 situation of similar exposure, but according to the preser- 

 vative method. This tree, being a subject of uncommon 

 beauty, as above described, and having a head of more than 

 five-and-twenty feet broad, strong roots of fourteen and 

 fifteen feet of a side (instead of seven) are taken up with 

 it, together with abundance of the minutest fibres, after a 

 peculiar method, to be explained in the sequel. Instead 

 of lopping and defacing the top and side-branches, the 

 whole are left untouched, and their fine symmetry is 

 preserved entire. Transportation of the tree to its 

 destined site then follows ; where, after being replanted 

 according to a peculiar method, also productive of sta- 

 bility in an extraordinary degree, it is found capable of 

 resisting the wind on the simplest principles, namely, the 

 acquired steadfastness of the stem, and the length and 



* Rural Improver, p. 87. 



