TREE PLANTING CANONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 496, 1 May 1909, Page 8

TREE PLANTING CANONS.

OLD THEORIES BURST.. In New Zealand, as. well as in other countries, fruitgrowers and others have been earnestly, adjured to be careful, in planting trees, to trim the bruised roots neatly, to vemove any that have been badly lacerated in tho lifting, and to spread out tho roots in planting with tho utmost tenderness and precision. This is now found to be all wrong. It was at Woburn experimental fruit farm in England that this discovery was made. Convinced, like everybody else, of the accuracy of tho old canons, tho experimenters sot out a plot of fruit trees whoso roots they had knocked about and lacerated and doubled up and othorwiso maltreated iii tho most approved manner of how not to do it. They, intended that this plot should bo to visitors a horriblp example,of tho evils of bad planting. But when the summer caino and growth was active, behold 1 this plot was tho best of them all. .It was just noticeably better than thoso plots which, had been planted with t-lio' tendorest caro that horticulturists could bestow. Like all true experimenters, tho authorities at Woburn (which, by_ the way, is run hv the Duke of Bedford, K.G.X

took stops to test tho accuracy of this strango result, and they arranged for several hundreds of trials to bo mado with 2000 troos in seventeen localities in eight counties. Finally they drew tho following conclusions: Tho precaution of not bending tho roots or otherwise injuring them, of spreading thorn out—especially tho fibrous roots—and of trimming roots that may havo been damaged, may - all bo neglected without detriment to tho tree, and, indeed, with some benefit. Whon trees aro lifted for transplanting, all tho delicate root tips become broken, and growth can only bo renewed by tho pushing out of new or adventitious roots. These roots form most plentifully on tho thickest roots and chiefly near the cut ends of those thick roots. They form moro abundantly near tho end of a short root than near tho end of a long straggly rootj ivhero thero is less resorvo material for tl)o purposo. Thus tho fibrous , roots taken up with tho tree, having lost their growing tips, aro littlo moro than dead encumbrances. Ramming tho soil hard. after planting assists tho formation of tho adventitious roots. Trees rammed produced 40 per cent more growth in tho first year and still more in tho second year than trees planted in tho orthodox way. With cach class of soil there is a certain depth at which roots make tho best growth. Trenching, is only beneficial when it improves tho drainage. Trees planted in a raised mound did best in their first season; but worst afterwards. Planting "on tho square" is as good lor tho trees as any other stylo of arrangement, and it is more convenient for tho orchardist. It would be interesting to find somo of these unbrthodoxies from tho experiment farms of Now Zealand. i,'