8 
a (hying wind and snn, so contrary to their nature. When ruthlessly wrenched up in the way labourers 
usually do, it is surprising any live at all, as you will lind scarcely any of these important rootlets, and 
probably only hard woody parts of roots that steady it against the 
wind are left ; these substances have no means beyond their spongy 
nature of sucking up a very small amount of moisture for nourishing 
the plant until it emits or makes new white roots from the harci 
• ones, which, even in the most favourable weather, will take at least 
a fortnight. Even then the supply is small and can only be scanty 
for months, and particularly if removal has been done during very 
cold frosty weather, so the top branches have little or no more than 
the sap that exists in the stems or body of the plant. This is the 
dangerous time. Every day the plant must have sap to send up 
to supply its foliage against wind and sun, even if the season is 
particularly dry, windy or sunny, and the moment it can get no 
more the foliage droops, the wood turns bi'onzy and yellow, and the 
stems become ribbed or furred ; these are sure signs that the top of 
the plant is dead. True, some trees will break from the stem or 
oven from the bottom, but practically it is useless, and the sooner 
it is up and replaced the better. And yet trees — like human 
beings — if healthy will endure a great deal of hardship and struggle 
for dear life ; all kinds of hardy plants, if carefully taken up, the 
roots kept perfectly moist and well eovered, and replanted quickly 
and carefully in the ordinary way and trodden down firmly, at the 
proper time, will live and flourish, and no one need have any fear 
after reading and understanding the meaning and points of the 
subjects in this paper respecting them. 
Let us look at this shrub {see illustration), and note the 
enormous difference between the top and its roots. Is it to bo 
supposed it can send up support! It must bo (juite apparent that 
a plant so removed from its former home and soil, where hundreds 
and even thousands of tiny white roots that were feeding and 
doing their daily work are suddenly cut and torn away, must be 
undergoing an almost sure-death operation, and it is here that the 
physician should step in and say, “ Unless you consent for me to 
reduce it branches to a reasonable proportion, owing to what has 
riNus .sTRonus occurred in reducing its roots, I will not be answerable for its life ; 
(WEYMOUTH tine). let iiie do this even to the disfigurement of the plant.” But in 
nearly every case, with an eye for uniformity, trees and shrubs in 
particular can be cut to advantage here and there, and so improve their shape and beauty ; this may be 
done either before they are taken up or directly afterwards, and it will then be more likely to recover 
from (he dangerous operation and soon put forth fresh growth, without the annoying sight of brown and 
yellow leaves and dead branches ; but to let all the top remain, most serious consequences will be almost 
sure to occur. I know to reduce a beautiful tree would be painful to the eyes, but it is one of those 
cases where knowledge and common reasoning must reign supreme and be master of the situation. Act 
at the right place and time, at this critical moment, and in a year or so the plant will show plainly the 
good results of forethought and skilful work. Always ehoose warm weather with continuous showers, 
which are the great secret in assisting trees over such removal and mutilation ; if not possible, do all 
you can to supply the moisture by hand. 
I.,aurels and all kinds of evergreens require far more care and skill than a deciduous tree, for this 
reason, they not only have the wood to maintain but the foliage also ; this makes them require so 
much more sustenance than a leafless tree. It is contrary to their nature for evergreens to be bare of 
foliage, they therefore rerjuirc most thoughtful treatment to prevent suffering. 
R o s c: s. 
Order these early in the autumn, persist in having place and soil ready and trees in by the end of 
October, never mind their having green foliage, young growths and a flower here and there ; have them 
planted quite by the end of that month and immediately prune as per cross-cuts in the engraving, the 
remaining wood will then keep green and freshen, eyes plump, and the woody roots will put forth two 
or three inches of new white roots and keep supplying sap more or less throughout the winter. By the 
spring time, if the plants were skilfully taken up and packed from the nursery, planted and staked, 
there will not be much difference between these and those planted a year or two previously, and they will 
give you some bloom buds well nigh if not quite good enough for showing. Exactly the same applies to 
fruit and all trees ; of course new soil that they are to root into must be quite as good and as much better 
as you like ; this being so and all well-firmed down by treading, you can rest assured of seeing living 
