Jan.] THE FLOWER GARDEN. 837 



hope of success. Where draining may not be necessary, it is 

 of the greatest importance that trenching should not be omitted, 

 however good the soil may be in other respects. Nothing can 

 be more erroneous in practice, although we see it daily done, 

 than to dig a pit for a tree of only sufficient size for the roots, 

 which are thrust in, and a few clods trodden in upon them ; 

 pits made on that principle serve as vessels for holding the 

 superfluous water, that may and will collect in them, and the 

 sides being hard, it cannot readily pass off, but remain to 

 stagnate and sour the mould about the roots, which soon pe- 

 rish. Independently of which, the roots being shortened in 

 the operation of taking up, throw out many fine young fibres, 

 which are intended for collecting the future food of the plant. 

 These fibres, after finding their way through the loose mould 

 with which the pit may be filled, and which may have been 

 prepared for the purpose of more readily causing them to 

 emit young roots, find a barrier in the sides of the pit, through 

 which they are unable to penetrate, and so remain confined 

 within the narrow compass of the pit, until the tree, in all 

 probability, decays for want of nourishment ; or, where the 

 pits are small, and the plants large, they are blown about, 

 so that their roots never make any effort to extend themselves, 

 and consequently the tree perishes. 



The ground being previously trenched, these objections are 

 re 1 edied ; a free filtration goes on, and no part of the 

 ground retains more than its just share of moisture; the 

 roots finding no impediment in extending themselves in all 

 directions. 



Much also depends on the state of the gi'ound, at the time 

 of planting, as to whether it be too dry or too wet to ensure 

 success ; it can scarcely ever be too dry, and never at this 

 season ; and should it be too wet from continued rains or 

 melting snow, it is much better to defer planting until it be- 

 come of a proper texture. At a time when the soil may be 

 termed neither wet nor dry, the operation of planting will be 

 most • successfully performed. It is, therefore, improper to 

 plant in a retentive soil in the time of rain, or even perhaps 

 for some days afterwards, or after a fall of snow, until it has 

 for some days disappeared ; whereas, on dry sandy soils it may 



