490 QUEENSVAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Nor., 1899. 
the subject, but-there was no difference of opinion as to their highly unsatis- 
factory state. Like most other places of similar extent in this part of the 
Downs, it is evident that the land in the area is not all alike in its suitability for 
the growth of trees; yet, allowing for the difference, those conversant with. 
tree culture will not have long to seek for the cause of this decay, which has 
been slowly but surely going on. The decline is not the result of old age, nor 
of the capability of the soil to grow and maintain the trees in a healthy condition, 
for a closer inspection of similar trees growing only a few yards away confirmed 
my first opinion, which was that want of timely thmning and the want of 
nourishment at the roots, caused by bad planting, were at the bottom of it 
all. The questions put to me were—“ Could anything be done to the trees to 
give them new life? Was it advisable to plant young trees between them, and 
when these had made a start to then take the sick ones out?” The answer I 
gave was—‘ Leave them to me, with power to act, and they will be given new 
life.’ Iremarked at the time these were planted that they would never make 
anything else but shrubs, and that only for a time. I examined the roots and 
foliage thoroughly, and found that three parts of the branches were dead or decay- 
ing, and the foliage scant and yellow-tinted ; but on examining the roots I saw at 
once the cause of all the evil. The trees, in the first instance, had been planted too 
high; theroots when young hadnot been spread out; they were simply growing asif 
they remained in a pot, and those who know the size of these camphors will be 
surprised at my saying that the roots had not extended more than 6 féet from 
the stem of the tree, when they should have spread 12 feet at the least. The 
roots showed up out of the ground 2 feet from the trunk, They had embraced 
and interlocked each other, and on account of the scant foliage, were exposed to 
the full rays of the sun, and the remark I made at the time of planting was now 
justified. My first work was to cut out the dead yellow branches, the centre of 
which was found to be decayed. Then all the inside branches were taken out, 
the surface of the soil under each tree was forked over very shallow, and outside 
the spread of the foliage a trench was dug all around the tree. Now this, of 
course, is the proper place to apply the nourishment, at the mouth of any tree, 
as here are situated the extremities of the roots, and as these feeding roots 
spread out beneath the soil pretty nearly to the same extent as the branches 
above ground, the tree should be fed at the distance of the extremity of the 
branches above ground from the stem. Here Nature teaches us a lesson: 
The head of the tree is in the form of a dome like an umbrella; all around the 
soil is exposed to the rain, and the water penetrates the earth just where the 
‘extremities of the roots are situated to receive it. In addition to this, the 
greater part of the rain which has washed and refreshed the leaves trickles 
down from the ends of the branches, and reaches the ground in the appropriate 
spot. In trenching around the trees, immediately where the branches extended, 
the men were surprised to find no roots. This was nothing more than my prac- 
tical experience expected, because, if there had been roots, there would have been 
no necessity to do anything to the trees; but here was the mischief. The trees: 
were then throughly mulched with half-rotten straw and manure, well covering: 
up the large crinkled roots near the stem with a good coating of it. At the 
extremities, where the feeding roots should have been in the trench, the richest 
~ manure was placed, but none was forked in. On the 17th March, the caretaker 
being present, we found that at the extremity of the trenching, and right up to: 
within 3 feet of the stem, the young fibrous roots had formed a mat, 
and it was impossible to lift the mulching without damaging these roots. 
Now, what I wish to draw particular attention to is this: When the 
men started to fork over the surface they wanted to start near the 
stem. This I objected to at once, and made them keep their backs to it, © 
showing them where the mistake is often made by digging underneath any tree 
or shrub. Each time you turn over the soil, so many rootlets suffer, because 
as you proceed you keep en doubling the roots over towards the stem, and this 
is éarried on until the work is finished, when the soil is generally raked back 
again. Now, this is against Nature; if is similar to someone doubling your 
. 
