217 
lawns, and no floral ornament can be more interesting and 
beautiful ; those who have had their pillars of roses prostrated 
by a high wind in June, will I flatter myself appreciate this 
hint, and be able by root-pruning, to make their climbing roses 
fit subjects even for a small rose garden. 
Thus far have we followed Mr. Rivers through his paper, as 
read before the London Horticultural Society, and the thanks 
of Horticulturalists are due to him for bringing the subject so 
prominently before the public. He has roused the attention of 
the cultivator to general principles ; but further experience is 
required to enable us to pronounce on all its advantages, and 
to appreciate the methods of proceedure. 
Root-pruning, in winter has succeeded admirably, but we 
are not sure that it is the best season, under all circumstances. 
Checking luxuriance by cutting off large roots has been suc- 
cessful, but we are not sure that the practice should be indulged 
in without due attention being paid to the subsequent encourage- 
ment of the growth of small ones. Dr. Lindley has somewhere 
.said that a rank growth in a tree is not better evidence of health 
thancorpulenceinmau. Wethiuk the comparison defective. Man 
is endowed with reason to guide him, and if he offends against 
its dictates, he is sure to meet punishment. Disease is the re- 
sult of unfit indulgence. Whereas, if a tree be planted in rich 
soil, it luxuriates and grows, as nature intended it should grow, 
till it arrives at maturity, and tlien it becomes fruitful. But we 
are not content to wait for the period of maturity. M e desire 
that it should produce fruit in its very childhood ; therefore we 
starve it into extraordinary exertion ; we alarm nature, as it 
were, and she, in this, as in hundreds of other instances, makes 
an immediate effort at re-production. In the vegetable world, 
when an individual is maimed, irregularly supplied with food, 
or subjected to other treatment that may endanger life, it will 
generally be seen, that the means of increase are thereby called 
into greater activity. 
Root-pruning has hitherto been performed after the fall of 
the leaf, but to obtain flowers in the following spring, it may 
be reasonably supposed that if pruned in August the trees would 
have a better opportunity of maturing blossom-buds for the fol- 
lowing spring. Experience is yet wanting to show the different 
circumstances under which the process may be most advanta- 
209 , ACCTiRICM. 
