46 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Jan. 
taken, in time to save the life of the tree. As it is 
well known that these larvae came from the last 
brood of perfect insects, we are not to expect that 
trees planted since the last locust year will be 
troubled by these root-suckers. "We are informed 
that by cutting down the tree the insects will perish 
for want of food. The only fact which contravenes 
this position, is furnished by the statements on 
record, of swarms of locusts rising from the ground 
in open fields where oak trees, their favorite places 
of resort, had been cut down some years previously. 
Transplanting Shrubs. 
In transplanting shrubs as well as very small 
trees, a common error is too place them too deep in 
the earth. This has arisen from the fact, that by 
receiving more moisture, they often succeed best the 
first summer, at the expense however of their sub¬ 
sequent healthy growth. It is much better to plant 
shallow, imparting the necessary moisture by means 
. of a deep, mellow soil beneath, and by mulching 
above. The material for the latter may be short 
litter, manure, moss, spent tan, inverted turf or 
leaves and leaf mould. A raised surface consisting 
of these materials, to the height of six inches, will 
occasion no injury whatever for a year or two, and 
admirably equalize the moisture of the soil. Manure 
used in this way, operates beneficially not only in 
preserving the moisture, but in increasing the fertili¬ 
ty by the liquid manure carried down in solution by 
rains, especially if applied in autumn or winter. 
The contrast between the hard and baked surface 
too often witnessed when the ground is left bare, 
and the moist and softened earth beneath a coat of 
manure or litter, can be only sufficiently understood 
by actual experiment. Its advantages were striking¬ 
ly exemplified a year or two since, in planting out a 
bed of strawberries in the middle of an excessively 
dry summer. The roots, after being fixed by water 
in transplanting, were protected from drouth by a 
coat of manure three inches thick, and although they 
were watered but once, not a plant perished. 
Staking may be in some instances necessary to 
prevent swaying by the wind, or a one-sided growth 
where there are imperfect or unequal roots. But 
usually, if the shrub is furnished with good roots, 
and if care is taken while the earth is shovelled in, 
to spread them all out like the arms of an umbrella, 
they will serve to brace it evenly, and prevent a one¬ 
sided growth. Fixing by water, as it is termed, is 
often sufficient alone, to preclude the necessity of 
staking. It is most conveniently done by three per¬ 
sons, one spreading out the roots with his fingers, 
a second sifting in the earth, while the third settles 
it by pouring water from the rose of a watering-pot. 
Although soft at first, the soil in a few hours dries 
and hardens sufficiently to hold firmly the newly 
set roots. An additional stiffening, if needed, may 
be given by encircling the stem with a small tempo 
rary mound of earth. 
In transplanting roses amT some other small 
shrubs, sufficient pruning of the top is rarely given. 
Climbing roses and those generally which throw up 
rapid and vigorous shoots will make a better growth 
by autumn, by cutting down to a few good buds 
when set out, than by leaving a long portion of stem 
and branches, which indeed not unfrequently draw 
so hard upon the roots as to cause the death of the 
plant. On the other hand we have seen shrubs 
transplanted in wet weather with entire success, 
after having grown six inches, by taking up full 
roots, and drenching the soil well with water, at 
the same time very freely shortening back the shoots 
and lopping most of the leaves. 
Answers to Inquiries. 
Rhubarb .— 1 tl Which is the best sort, and which the 
second and third?” B. W. S. 
Of those more commonly known, the best appears to 
be Downing’s Colossal; next, the Victoria ; and thirdly 
the old Giant rhubarb. 
Cutting Grafts. —“ Are scions just as good cut ir> 
winter when frozen?” B. W. S. 
Equally so; and they may be frozen and thawed 
twenty times before spring without injury, provided the 
proper degree of moisture is preserved. 
Seckel Pear on Apple. —“ Does the Seckel peai 
succeed on the apple, and is the fruit larger in size as 1 
have seen stated?” N. W. 
It is usually difficult to succeed with the grafts or bud? 
during the early stages of their growth, most of them 
commonly failing the first year or two; but those which 
become established grow better, and often last many 
years. A dwarf tree four feet high, branching from 
the ground, and six years from the graft, bore about one 
peck of beautiful fruit the past season, larger in size 
than common, more pyriform in shape, and not percep¬ 
tibly inferior in quality. 
Root-grafting Apple trees. —“ In planting a small 
nursery, will small pieces of the roots of large apple 
trees produce trees large enough for market sooner than 
the seed, and how long ought the pieces to be? Are 
triple buds as well as single used in budding?” J. A 
D., Ravenna, O. 
Cutting up the roots of large trees to graft upon ha? 
never been much practiced, and is not so certain of pro¬ 
ducing uniformly fine and thrifty trees, as the vigorous 
and evenly formed roots of one or two-year seedlings, 
neither is it so cheap nor economical of labor. But in 
the absence of seedlings, it may be performed on a limi¬ 
ted scale. Younger and thriftier trees would furnish 
better pieces of roots than older and feebler ones. The 
length should be about six inches, and when set out, the 
soil should cover all but the tip of the graft. 
Triple buds, when the center is a leaf bud, succeed 
well in propagating. This is nearly always the case with 
triple peach buds, and when cut from old or slowly 
growing trees, they are more likely to withstand the 
winter than any other. The best buds however are 
those strong and well formed on the large and vigorou? 
shoots of young trees. 
