Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1848-11-24
Prom the Horticulturist.
Inc Arl Of TranspIanlIng Trees.


trees. Our remarks wI Be intended, Of course
Tor The uninIiialedi not for those who hay,
grow wise WIIh experience.
That there is a difficulty in nansplanlin.
trees, The multitude Of complaints und inquine
Whlch Oesei US, most abuudanty prove. Ths
/ u ls' on %" oihcr hand, very easy and sirnpl,
process, the uniform success Of skilGll cultiya
tors, as fully establishes.
The difficulty then, lies. OF course, in a wan
/ OF knowledge, on the part Of the unsuccessful
pracuuoner This kind Of knowledge NAV BE-
stated, broadly, under Two heads, viz: Ignorance
/ ol ihe organization Of trees, and ignorance oI
The necessity Of feeding them.
The irsI point is directly the most impoYtant.
for the very process of trausplauripg /, founded
upon H. Since this arr virtually consists in re-
moving by violence, a tree from one spo, 10
another, II IS absolutely necessary to know. how
much violence We may use without defeating
The ends IA view. A common soldier will, win
his sword, cut of mans limb, in such a man.
ner that he takes his life away with il. A skill.
lul surgeon will do the same thing, in order 10
PeSeTUe life. There are, also, manifes,ly TWO
ways Of lranspIanting trees.
That The UHal principle is a wonderful and
mysterious power, even in plants, it cannot be
denied. But because certain trees, as poplars
aud willows, have enough Of this power 10 en-.
able pieces Of them TO grow, when stuck into
the ground like walking sticks, withoul roots.
II does not follow that all other trees will do the
same. There are some animals which swallow
prussc acid with impunily; but il is a danger.
Gus experiment for all other animals. " ha,
we mean 10 suggest, therefore, is, that he who
would be successful lransplanler, must have an
almost religious respect for the roots of trees.
lie must look upon them as the collectors OF
revenue, The wardens of the ports, the great via.
ducts Of all solids and fluids that enter into the
system OF growth aud verdure, which consli.
luIes the tree proper. Oh, If one could only
teach hewers Of "Iap-rools" and drawers of
"Ialerals," The value of the whole system of
rooIs,-eycrylhing, in short, lkaI looks like, and
is radicls,-lhen would nine.tenlhs Of the diff
licui'y Of transplsnIing be left pretty much 10
themselves!
Nov Tree, TO be perfectly transpantcd,
ought 10 be taken up with its whole system of
roofs entire. Thus removed and carefully re-.
planted, at the proper dormant season, it need
not suffer loss of the smallest bough, and il
would scarcely feel its removal. Such things
are done every year, with this result, By really
clever and experienced gardeners. We have
seen apple trees, large enough 10 bear a couple
Of bushels Of fruit, which were removed do.
zen miles, in the autumn, and made uxuranl
growth, and bore fine crop the next season.-
Bu the workman who handled them had gone
TO the root Of the business he undertook.
The fact, however, cannot he denied, that in
common practice there are very few such per-
feet workmen. Trees Especially in the nurse
rles,) are often taken up in haste. at a loss of
third, or even sometimes half Of their roots,
and when received by The transplanter, there is
nothing to be done but 10 make the best of ii.
In order 10 do this, we must look d liule in
advance, in order 10 understand the philosophy
OF growth. In a few words, then, il may be as
sumed that in healthy tree, there is an exact
"balance Of power" between the roots and the
branches. The first may be said TO represent
the stomach, and the second the lungs and per.
spiratory system. The first collects lood for
the tree; the other eIaborales and prepares this
food. You can, therefore, no more make vio-
lent attack upon the roots, without the leaves
and branches suffering harm by it, than you can
greatly injure the stomach Of an animal without
disturbing the vital action Of all the rest of its
system.
In trees and plants, perhaps, this proportional
dependence is still greater. For instance, the
leaves, and even the bark of tree, continually
act as the perspiratory system Of that tree
Every clear day, in good sized tree, they give
OIL many pounds weight of fluid matter,-beng
the more watery portion of the element absorb.
ed by the roots. Now it is plain, that if you
destroy, in ransplanting, one.third of the roots
OF a Tree, you have, as soon as the leaves ex-
pand, third more lungs than you keep in ac-
ton. The prespirauon is vastly beyond what
The roots can make good; and unless the subject
is one of unusual vitality, or the weather is such
as 10 keep down perspirauon by constant damp
ness, the leaves must flag, and the tree partly or
wholly perish.
The remedy, in cases where you must plant
a tree whose roots have been mutilaled, is (ai-
ter carefully pairing off the ends of The wound
ed roofs, TO enable Them TO heal more speedily)
to restore the "balance Of power" by bringing
down the perspratory system-in other words,
the branches, 10 corresponding state; that is
to say, in theory, if your tree has lost fourth
branches.
This is the correct theory. The practice,
however, differs with the climate where The
transplanting takes place. This is evident, if
we remember that the persPiraron is governed
by the amount Of sunshine and dry air. The
more Of these, the greater the demand made
for moisture, on the roots. Hence, The reason
why delicate cuttings strike root readily under
a bell glass, and why transpanting is as easy as
sleeping in rainy weather. In England, there
fore, it is much easier TO transplant large trees
than on the continent or in this country; so easy,
tha. Sir Henry Stewart made parks Of fifty fee,
trees with his iranspanlIng machine, almost as
easily and as quickly as Capt. Bragg makes
park of artillery. But he who tries this sort of
fancy work in the bright sunshine of the United
States, will find that ii is like undertaking to be-
siege Gibraltar with cross-bows. The trees
start into leaf, and all promises well; but, un.
less under very favorable circumstances, the
leaves beggar the roofs, by their demands for