318 
THE COTTAGE GABDENER. 
January 2!>. 
tioii the fact, that fruit-trees are often obligerl to he 
planted in situations at variance witli their general well¬ 
being, we may fairly conclude that some considerable 
difference in their after-treatment must be made to com¬ 
pensate for the altered circumstances of their condition. 
in using the word “obliged,” 1 allude to the innu¬ 
merable instances in which the owners or occupiers of 
small plots of ground will introduce the greatest possi¬ 
ble vaiioty into their premises, where it is very ])0S3ible 
that the soil and situation may be only favourable to 
one of the species, or, perhaps, to none at all. This is 
often the case, and some artificial means or other are | 
made use of to compensate for the absence of these two 
all-important agents. It is impossible fully to aocom- ; 
plish this; but much may be done to improve the cir- ' 
cumstances under which the different fruits are grown. , 
An improper soil may be improved by adding the right ' 
ingredients ; and though climate and situation are both 
beyond controul, a judicious selection of varieties, with 
proper pruning, &c., will, in a great measure, assist in 
restoring the balance. Rut as these general observations i 
have been before referred to in The Cottage Gakdener, 
it is needless repeating it further now; but to call atten¬ 
tion to a few points in the planting of fruit-trees in 
general. 
In the first place, it is advisable to select tbe trees to 
be planted from among those called, in technical lan¬ 
guage, “ Maiden trees,” being those which have never 
been cut down; but as this cannot always be done, i 
those trees which have only nndergone that operation 
once arc belter than those which have been subjected 
to much ])runing; for successive amputations of a whole¬ 
sale kind have a tendency to encourage suckers to arise 
from the root, as well as from the stem below the graft, 
or bud, to the great injury of the plant. This jioint 
being attended to, the next care is to take up the plant 
with all its roots uninjured. This matter cannot be too 
strongly insisted on; for it too frequently happens that 
the roots of such things are very carelessly handled, 
and being cut and curtailed to a very great extent, it is 
not to be wondered at if they do not succeed well. In 
fact, when we reflect that it is the small, fibrous roots 
which furnish the food the tree lives upon, we need not 
wonder if it should refuse to grow when divested of 
these. If, therefore, you have trees from a nursery, be 
sure to see that they are taken up with good roots, and 
should any root get damaged or broken in the process ' 
of taking up, or afterwards, let it be cut back to the 
parts unhurt; for it often happens that the injury done 
to a root being insufficient to kill it, the vitality of 
the “ half-broken off part,” not finding an outlet in 
the usual way for the juices it has been in search of, 
commences to make an outlet for itself, and buds are 
formed at the place where it is damaged, speedily pass 
through the soil, if 7iot too deep, and, reaching the air, 
are at once suckers. This, of course, weakens the parent 
tree, not only by the abstraction of tbe root in question, 
but by the sj)ace it occupies, to the e.xclusion of other 
and more useful roots, besides the disagreeable appear¬ 
ance it presents. Now, as many of these evils trace their 
origin to the manner in which fi uit-trecs are taken up, 
it follows that they ought to be carefully done, and with 
all the roots, as far as jiossible, whole. 
Ihc planting is now the next duty, as it is supposed 
the silo- has been chosen, and the ground jtrepared. 
Prior, however, to pulling them into the ground, tho 
I roots ought all to be looked to, and if there bo any of 
I those central, down-right roots, called “ tap-roots,” it 
j is advisable to cut them clean out, as the tree is quite 
I capable of supiiorting itself in an upright position with- , 
out these auxiliaries. When other things are favour- 
Jible and it is very seldom that deep, strong tap-roots 
j make good horizontal ones—their loss is of less eonse- 
j quence, and the planting may be at once proceeded with 
ns soon after the plants are taken up as possible, as 
lying about in packages, or other places, is nearly as 
bad as maltreatment to the roots ; for it is, in fact, mal¬ 
treatment to take them out of the ground, and expose 
them to the action of the atmosphere for a considerable 
lime. 
In planting trees intended to become open standards, 
it is good practice to place some of the best roots to tbe 
west, or wliatever side the highest winds are expected 
from, and bo sure to spread out each root to the full 
extent it will reach, and in such a manner that all may 
radiate from the centre, and, as near as possible, at even 
distances from each other, filling in fine earth at tho 
time, so that there may be more tiers of roots than one, 
if they be numerous. When all is done, and the hole j 
filled in, put a stake at once to the tree, if there be the j 
least dangfu- of its shaking about in the wind, and the 
job is finished, unless some protection against hares and 
I'abbits is necessary ; if so, it is better to trust to some 
furze covering than any wash, unless tbe appearance of 
the former is objectionable. However, if any danger 
is apprehended that way, it is advisable to guard against 
it at once, for these marauders seem to take a pleasure 
in following in the wake of alterations or i)lanting, 
and often enough give tho finishing touch to valuable 
things. 
Observe, in the above basty description of plant¬ 
ing, I ought to have said that the hole made to receive 
the tree should be largo enough for the roots to be 
spread about withotit their ends turning upwards, or 
out of the line; it should, also, be level at the bottom, 
unless, in certain cases, where the nature of the root 
rendered it advisable to be otberwise. A little fine earth 
ought, also, to be under each root, as well as over it; 
and if this fine earth was from the fine surface-soil 
which had been exposed some time to the air, so much 
the better. Watering is rarely necessary, unless late in 
spring; and even then, it is only advisable to give a little 
over the roots when spread out, and not to saturate the 
soil above them, as tho after-trampling in the tying np 
the tree, &c , would work up newly-watered ground into 
a mortar-like substance; the very reverse to what is 
relished by vegetation. 
We now come to the point in which I have no hesita¬ 
tion in saying a serious error exists, and that is the 
pruning, or cutting down of the tree at the lime of plant¬ 
ing. 'I’his practice used to be all but universal; and in 
many districts is nearly so now. Rut a better know¬ 
ledge of tbe laws which governed horticulture, confirmed 
by cxjteriouce, has tauglit us, that a too severe amputa¬ 
tion of the top at the same lime tho roots are under¬ 
going a change is like inflicting two severe wounds on 
tiie same ])atient at once, and, consequently, in some 
cases, more than the said patient can hear, i well 
know a case where a party planted a piece of ground 
with standard Ap])lc and Rear trees, and, after tying 
them carefully up to stakes, cut back their heads to one 
or two inches; the result was that several died, while 
some others began to shoot out below the graft; and 
those whi(0i did survive made poor, sickly shoots, of no 
use whatever for the next year. 'I’his planter acted in ! 
direct variance to the advice given him, and thus paid j 
for his folly. The better plan in ])lantiug such trees, is I 
to leave mostly all the top on entire the first year, and I 
the next one to cut down what may bo deemed necessary | 
to secure the proper form of growth, &c. It is true, you 
will then have to cut into the two-year-old wood, but 
that makes no difference, as that will bear tho knife ns 
well as the younger, and the shoots from that will be 
satisfactory. 
1 may observe, that the system of planting out trees 
of all kinds, without cutting them down for one year, is ; 
very prevalent here. Young Chesnut trees, from four to 
si.x feet high, are planted out, and sometimes they are i 
