Los Angeles daily herald., 1873-11-06
gos Aneeles Aerala,
TRANSPLANTiNG TREES.

The active parts of tree are the
spongioles and the leaves. The form
er permeating the ground, sucking
therefrOm water impregnated with
some of the needed materials for the
further building up of the form, car
bon and other substances in a gazeous
state, which are required in the struc-
ture, as we'll as to permit the escape
of the water and gases after they have
performed there various offices.
To insure the highest state of health
and greatest luXuriance, it follows
that perfect equilibrium must exist
between the leaves of tree and its
spongioles. If the power of the spon-
goles is i'm excess of the leaves, new
buds, branches and leaves will be
found out to preserve the equilibrium.
1fthe leaves are in excess of the capa-
bilities of the spongioles to supply
water and the other requisite material
taken up from the ground; they soon
wilt, shrivel and close up their pores,
and il necessary, in order to restore
the equilibrium, die, falling to the
ground, and there with their dead
bodies spread over the earth detain the
water therein, SO that the spongioles
may obtain greater supply OF this
life-preserving fluid.
There are reasons and facts to support
the conclusion that electricity is the
power which causes the circulation Of
the sap in vegetables. That underlined
power, called capillary attraction,
seems so inefficient to raise to the tops
OF lofty trees, the enormous quantity
of water daily used and exhaled by a
large and vigorously growing tree. If
such is the case, the electrical condi-
ton Of the earth and the atmosphere
at the time of and Immediately follow
ing the transplanting of trees, must
exert controlling influence over the
degree of the check caused by the func-
tions of the tree by the operation of
transplanting when it is performed
with ordinary skill and carefulness.
1t is well known fact that
the electrical current which passes
through lightning rod is
more active, and much greater
when the earth end of the rod is en-
beded in wet ground, than when it is
in comparative dry earth, and we
know that the circulation of the sap,
in a tree having it's roots in dry and
parched ground, is almost instantan-
eously increased when the ground in
which the roots are EMBEDDED are satu-
ated with water. This part, and many
others which the careful Obserer may
note, tends to strengthen the conclu-
sion that electricity is the great power
which causes the circulation of sap in
vegetable organizations.
The advantage of transplanting
trees when the ground is warmer than
the atmosphere is also indicated by
transplanters who are SO well aware of
the beneficial effect of spell of cool
weather at the time of and following
the transplanting of trees.
From the preceding will be seen the
importance of exercising sound
Judgment on the use of the pruning
knife upon the tree at the time OF
transplanting, so that the equilib-
rum between the leaves and the spOn-
gioles may be as little destroyed as is
possible. AS the exhalation of water
from the leaves is not suspended by
uprooting the tree while the supply is
entirely cut off, it follows that the
pruning should be performed before
the tree is taken up, and when this is
not practicable it should be done inn
mediately after the tree has been
removed from the earth. #**