ON TH« INTF.ftlOR OF PtANTi. f 



t<9;fijrew brittle, and their cases to crack: the nourishing ves* • 

 wels round them decay, and the first wind> of course, takes 

 off the leaves, and the next circuixistanee is g-enerally the 

 death of the line of hfe; which, when once it begins to be 

 affected, soon hiirsts, turns black and dies: this spreads an 

 increased sweetness over the plant, by the juices of the line; 

 wjiich^ thoui^ii often bitter, are luscious, and tempt the 

 Hffi^m., From this time nothiug can save the tree, though 

 the bark and rind may still show soijie green; nay, 1 have 

 known a ftne day burst the leuf-buds, so little has the leaf to 

 do with the plant, but they are soou gone; and the remain'* 

 d^r sinks to torpidity and death, I have watched many "^ ? 



trees from the first to the last in this way, and -taken down \ 



their symptoms as they increased, by cutting branches, and J 



thus judging of the progress of the evil; but if at the first 

 appearance of it, care h^d been taken, the tree had been dug 

 round, and a little dressing thrown with frpsh earth; and if 

 the disorder pontinijed, jind showed in any particular spot; 

 bad this been cut away, ajid managed as mentioned above 

 for to excite to fresh action is every thing in a plant, and air To excite to 

 and light if possible let to it by cutting down any rubbish that h^JaUh^o a* 

 impeded it, njany trees might be saved, and much wood r&- plme. 

 illoredto the country. Light is certainly the most necessary 

 desideratum to pliints. It is painful to see how trees will 

 twist their branches kn search of it, and perhnps be disap- 

 pointed at last. A tree is therefore so far froqi dying by 

 too much compression, that this is always a sign of health ; 

 ^s the spreading out and growing irregular in the branches 

 is a sign of sickness. !But I must dwell on this subject no 

 lopirer, ,1 



I mentioned, that when a bud is protruded, a knot is The breaking* 

 fbrmed on the line of life, which is broken, and the two ends of me line of 

 form bqds. AH that is necessary therefore to form a bud is, ^ *' 

 to divide the line of Wftt ; this gardeners have learned to do, 

 by cutting a gash in the place they mean to make prolific, 

 Xhey th^n not only divide the line, but they also separate 

 ^he wood, which hastens the bud, as it has not to prepare the 

 >vood for its exit from the plant. This very much quick^r-ns 

 the business ; but then there is evident danger in the doing 

 ^t. In the first place many buds may be destroyed in theij^ 



