270 
THE ELOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
the results of these proceedings with great interest, and I confess 
to have gleaned some valuable information from them. I should 
observe that the kinds of shrubs were principally Portugal Laurels, 
Laurestiues, Arbutus, variegated Hollies, Sweet Bays, and Aucubas. 
Those moved in August suffered considerably in the loss of their 
leaves, especially the Laurestines, and assumed generally a yellow, 
sickly hue. Others transplanted during the first ten days of Sep- 
tember succeeded little better ; during the latter part of the same 
month, and in October and November, hardly indicated any effects 
of the operation. The weather, from the commencement of the 
work up to the beginning of November, was, upon the whole, dry. 
After this, heavy rains set in and continued till the middle of 
January. The plants removed during that time did not start so 
freely into growth in the following spring as those transplanted in 
October and the early part of November. The soil, it may be 
observed, was a stiff loam, and, from being newly trenched, was 
rendered by the digging and treading, consequent on the planting, 
anything but favourable for the roots. To this cause may un- 
doubtedly be attributed the comparative ill success of the plants 
removed then. Towards the close of January frost set in, and plant- 
ing was suspended for a month ; but during part of February and 
the whole of March and April, the work was carried on, and, as the 
succeeding summer showed, with varying success. Those removed 
in March, however, on the whole suffered most, many of them, espe- 
cially some large Portugal Laurels, died back to within a foot or 
two of the ground ; others lost the greater part of their branches. 
These, on being cut back, made vigorous growth in the following 
year. Of all the plants removed I do not think more than half-a- 
dozen died outright. Some of the shrubs transplanted in April 
deserve a special notice. Of these, several were large Portugal 
Laurels, requiring the united assistance of eight or ten men to lift. 
As they were placed in very important positions, every care was 
taken to insure success by careful removal, and each was well 
watered when planted. The only indication of their having changed 
places was the casting of a few of the older leaves. Notwithstand- 
ing the few failures, and the otherwise varying success, the result 
of the work, on the whole, may be considered as satisfactory. Two 
points in particular contributed to this success. The ground to be 
planted, from being trenched previously, had become thoroughly 
settled, and the plants themselves, having to be carried but short 
distances, received no material injury from being kept cut of the 
ground. 
Whenever planting is to be extensively undertaken, much of the 
success will depend on timely preliminaries being carried out. It 
is too much the practice to procrastinate in this, and to defer the 
preparation of the soil till it is time to plant the trees. Supposing 
the soil to require both draining and trenching, and in all new 
grounds these operations may be calculated on, by all means let 
them be finished in the summer preceding the planting season. If 
the soil is very stiff and unfavourable, a year’s cultivation previous 
to planting would be of immense advantage ; but under any cir- 
