A GREAT LESSON IN RAISING OAKS, &c. According to Mr. Forsyth:

WHO says, it is a generally received opinion, that when an oak loses its tap-root in transplanting, it never produces another. But this he thus refutes. He transplanted a bed of oak-plants into a fresh bed, cutting the tap-roots near to some of the small side roots or fibres shooting from them. In the secona year after, he headed one half of the plants down, and left the other half to nature. In the first season, those beaded-down made shoots six feet long, and completely covered the tops of the old stems, leaving only a faint cicatrix; and had produced new tap-roots upwards of two and a half feet long. One of these trees he left at the Revenue-office to shew the advan

tage of transplanting and heading-down young oaks, when done in a proper manner; of which he also gives directions for Chesnuts. See P. 70.

By this method of treating the plants, the oaks, &c. will grow more in one year than in six when treated in the common way.

The other half, not headed down, grow not one fourth the size of those headed. One of the headed-down is eighteen feet high; and, six inches from the ground, measures fifteen inches in circumference: at three feet from the ground, ten inches; and at six feet, nine and a half inches: when one of the largest of those not headed-down, measures only five and a half feet high, and three and three quarters inches in circumference, at six inches from the ground. This is a convincing proof that transplanting and heading down oaks is the most successful and advantageous way of treating them; and by it they are sooner out of danger from cattle, as well as from vermin so frequently injurious to young trees.

Of Oak-trees, it is further to be observed, from Mr. Forsyth's Treatise, that where they had received very considerable damage from various accidents, blows, bruises, cutting deep letters, rubbing off the bark by the ends of rollers, cartwheels, and mutilated branches or limbs, a perfect cure has been made, and sound timber produced, through his applications.

R

1

NOTES

ON

FRUITS AND AMERICAN GARDENING;

WITH

DESIGNS FOR PROMOTING THE RIPENING OF

FRUITS, AND SECURING THEM AS

FAMILY COMFORTS:

AND FURTHER,

OF ECONOMICAL PRINCIPLES IN BUILDING

FARMERS' HABITATIONS, &c.

BY AN AMERICAN FARMER.