On Naval Timber and Arboriculture / With Critical Notes on Authors who have Recently Treated the Subject of Planting

by Patrick Matthew

From facts we are also assured, that, in some hard wood kinds, and also in the Coniferæ, the hanging of the growth of the young plant, the spindling up in the seed-bed, or injudicious deterring treatment afterwards, have a tendency to injure the constitution of the individual, inducing premature seeding, and diminutive old age; and also, that when plants, especially of some size, of these kinds of trees have their roots much broken, the secondary or new roots often partake something of the nature of the infirm runners, which, in most kinds of trees, are thrown out by layers,—the resulting tree, as in the case of those from layers in fruit trees being dwarfish, sooner exhausting itself by reproduction, and sooner decaying. For distinctness, we shall recapitulate: {110}

That the seed be from the largest, hardiest variety of tree in luxuriant growth.

That the seed be recent, and carefully preserved in husk till sowing, and extracted from the husk or cone without artificial drying.

That the nursery be in an open, rather exposed situation,—most eligible without shelter either of tree, hedge or wall, of rather light dry soil of ordinary quality, of dry climate, and, in preference, soil naturally good to that made so by high manuring.

That the plants be not too close, nor remain too long in the seed-bed; that they be extricated without much fracture of root, and be replanted in wide rows, with good space between the plants in the row, keeping the roots as superficially extended as they will thrive, and without doubling the main root up to the surface of the ground.

That the plant receive no pruning, excepting in the case of more than one leader appearing, or feeder unproportionally extended; and no root-section, in order to retard its growth, or increase the number of root-fibres; and that its ultimate removal be accomplished without much fracture of root or branch.

By exposed situation of nursery, ordinary quality of soil, and much room in the seed-bed and rows, we {111} shall have plants with firm fibre and hardy constitution, with thick juicy bark, thick stem at the surface of ground, and numerous feeders all the way down the stem. Roots are most easily extricated from light soil, and with least fracture. They are large in proportion to stem in dry soil and climate, and when they are situated near the surface of the ground.—A healthy growing plant, of firm fibre, large root, and sturdy short stem of one leader and numerous feeders, is the great desideratum: a large root is the more desirable, as a considerable part of it is generally broken off in transplanting, rendering it disproportioned to the top, which, in consequence, either languishes, or receives deterring cropping.

We consider, that a tree grows more luxuriantly, acquires larger size, and is much longer of reaching senility, when it is furnished with several large roots, say one or two to each of the cardinal points, extending horizontally out with bold leaders, than when numerous small rootlets diverge in all directions from the bulb, as is the case in some kinds when much fracture of root takes place from frequent removals, or, when the nursery is of moist or mossy soil, the plants being removed when of considerable size. We have cut down old stunted hard wood trees having extremely numerous crowded roots, all {112} engrafted into a matted net throughout the soil near the bulb, and without any strong extended leaders. We attributed this crowded rooting to the plants having been of considerable size when put in, and losing their natural leaders; the situation, an avenue exposed to cattle, went to confirm the probability that the defect of the rooting had been owing to the largeness of the plants.

When a tree is supplied by numerous, consequently small and not wide-extending roots, as the tree acquires size, the wide spreading branches and leafy top shed off the rain and dews from the space occupied by these roots, very few of them extending beyond this shade; at the same time, this narrow space becomes soon exhausted of the more particular pabulum necessary to the kind of plant, the exhaustion being accelerated by the dryness. This dryness and exhaustion of the soil very soon show their effects aloft; the living hark of the tree becomes covered from its connexion with the air, and constricted by a thick hard dead crust, which, with the consequent very thin alburnum affording an inefficient communication between the supply and demand, react to impair the general vigour, and particularly to impede the descent of the proper sap necessary to the enlargement and further extension of the roots. The buds {113} not receiving sufficient supply of root-moisture, instead of pressing on to new formation of wood, only find enough to burgeon out into flower-buds, which the following season drain the tree by reproduction; this fruit-bearing alternates with periods of exhaustion, when the buds have not even supply sufficient to swell into the embryo of flower and seed, but extend only into a few leaves; and sometimes, in the event of a benign season, the buds may throw out a small extension of new shoots. The tree progresses very slowly in thickness of bole all this time, and generally soon falls a prey to disease. On the other hand, when the tree has its naturally fine large roots preserved, and is situated in open forest, and mixed with other kinds, these large roots diverging widely from the tree and each other, have a much larger less-sought space to forage in; and the tree enjoying a long period of luxuriant growth before it fall much into seed-bearing, acquires strength of constitution to thrive and increase for ages under this drain.

We are satisfied that cutting or fracture of the root-leaders, especially near the bulb, when they have acquired some size, is injurious to the extension and longevity of the tree, in pines and most kinds of hard wood; and that branch-pruning, as generally practised, is not less pernicious, first, by the {114} derangement which the plant receives, from the regular connexion between the rootlets and their affiliated twigs and leaves being destroyed by the section, and afterwards from the distance between the manufacturing parts, the leaves and the sources of supply in the ground being unnaturally extended, especially when the stem is long, slender, and much denuded.