TRANSPLANTING. 
23 
Two facts may be relied upon in the con- 
sideration of this subject ; first, the growth of 
a tree is always in proportion to the under 
growth of its roots, and the head maintained 
grows as large as the roots will allow it; 
secondly, that any damage the roots sustain 
checks the growth of the tree or plant. From 
these two facts all the art of removing trees 
and plants should be learned, and upon these 
two facts all the art is founded. In trans- 
planting seedlings of almost any kind, there 
is no difficulty, because the roots being easily 
removed whole, the plants suffer nothing. In 
seedlings of all kinds there is a strong dis- 
position to make new roots, and, if the fibres 
are damaged, but little mischief accrues. It 
is when plants have stood some time, and their 
roots have made considerable progress, that 
the difficulty of removal begins to arise. Here, 
then, we have particular duties to perform ; 
the first is, by carefully removing the earth to 
the very end of the root, to get the plant up 
with as little damage as possible; and, secondly, 
to curtail the head sufficiently to allow for 
the damaged powers of the root. In taking 
up nursery plants, where despatch governs 
every thing, the roots lose considerably, and 
the ends of all the main spreading portions 
are invariably chopped off with the spade. 
This forces on us another operation: we have 
first to cut smooth all the bruised ends, and, 
secondly, to prune off a considerable portion 
of the branches, to diminish the evaporation 
and consumption of moisture ; some trees, 
indeed, are so much inclined to grow and 
strike root, that they would live almost if the 
roots were chopped off; but there are others 
which are extremely impatient of damage at 
the roots, and, if not very carefully removed, 
will fail. Again, there are many trees that 
cannot be pruned ; for instance, Cedars, Firs, 
Arborvitas, and trees of that description, 
must not lose a branch, or they lose their 
beauty ; hence the necessity of removing 
every fibre of the root with it, if the tree is to 
live ; while the trees are small there is but 
little difficulty. But the more valuable kinds 
are generally kept in pots a few years, that 
they may suffer nothing by removal. As 
they advance in growth, the pots are changed; 
but at length they are turned out into the 
ground, and for one year, or even two, they 
might be moved well and easily, because their 
roots have not had time to spread ; but, after 
that, the difficulty increases every year, and 
it is a tedious as well as troublesome job to 
follow out the direction of the roots, and ex- 
tricate them from the ground, without damage. 
But certain it is that the only conditions 
required on removing a tree, of any age or 
kind, are these : First, to release all the root 
from the ground, without bruising ; secondly, 
to remove the tree whole, as it is, and un- 
damaged, from where it was to where it is to 
be ; thirdly, to preserve all the fibres tho- 
roughly moist, from the time it is released 
from the ground until it is replaced; fourthly, 
to support it in such way, on replanting, as 
that the earth may be all among the fibres 
and roots, solid and proper, as it was when 
it was moved; and, lastly, that in treading 
and pressing the earth about it, the fibres 
shall not be pressed together, nor the roots 
bent out of their places. These conditions 
attended to, and the largest tree in the 
world would remove well, and without suf- 
fering materially. Still, it is next to impos- 
sible to comply with all these conditions with 
very large trees, and therefore large trees 
are seldom removed, and rarely live after 
removal. Many contrivances have been re- 
sorted to ; but there ought to be two years' 
preparation before it is attempted. This pre- 
paration consists of digging a circle round 
the tree, and cutting off the roots that extend 
beyond this ; and as even this may be too 
much check, if all done at once, it is necessary 
to do it at two different periods, by opening 
four opposite places, and at each place cutting 
away an eighth of the circle, building a wall 
within a foot of the remaining roots, and 
filling up that foot with the soil again, as well 
as the hole outside the bricks; new fibres and 
roots will spring out, and almost fill the space 
to the bricks. The next season the other four 
spaces may be opened, and the roots cut off at 
the same distance. At this time there must 
be some undermining, to examine whether 
there be any roots running very deep or 
downwards, like a tap-root ; and if there be 
any, they must be severed before you build 
walling to complete the circle of bricks. If 
these operations be well conducted, there will, 
by the next moving time, be a mass of roots 
within the brick wall capable of sustaining 
the tree ; and the removal, without damage, 
will be accomplished with little risk. The 
only thing then required is power; for by 
clearing all round the outer part of the brick 
wall first, and then pulling it down, the roots 
will be undamaged, and the ball of earth 
entire. But too much importance is attached 
to the ball of earth in all cases : thousands of 
trees have been moved with balls of earth to 
them five times the weight of the trees them- 
selves, while the roots have been dreadfully 
shortened all round, and the principal nourish- 
ing portions removed. In removing very 
large specimens, some nicety is required in 
reducing the head enough to make allowance 
for the decreased power of the roots, without 
injuring the general figure and appearance. 
Even in adopting the plan we have suggested, 
which is too troublesome for anything but a 
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