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68 
in the least. The leaves came out as usual in 1861, and were shed 
at the usual time. In 1862 he observed that the edges of the 
wound inflicted in 1860 on trees Nos. 1 and 2hadclosed. A fresh 
incision was made, a ring of bark being again removed. No effect 
upon the branches resulted from this operation. The leaves were 
of the same size, and were shed at the same time as were those on the 
untouched trees. In 1865 all evidence of the removal of the rim 
from the branch of tree No. 8 (which was done in 1860) had dis- 
appeared ; the cut in the bark had completely healed, and could not 
be discovered by external observation. He left it alone; but, two 
years afterwards, it was accidentally broken off, and, therefore, no 
further observations had been recorded with regard to that tree. A 
fresh rim of bark was removed from tree No. 1, about half an inch 
in breadth, and witha rim of woody matter extending abour one- 
third of an inch into the alburnum. A similar operation was per- 
formed on tree No. 2, but not to so large an extent. The result of 
the operation appeared to delay the formation of buds, or rather the 
production of leaves. The leaves came out earlier on other parts 
of the tree than they did on the branch itself of tree No.1. The 
delay was not so decided on No. 2; but, as if to make up for their 
later appearance, the leaves were larger and finer than their fellows, 
but had not quite so dark a hue as those on other parts of the tree. 
They changed colour, and became yellow earlier in the season, and 
dropped off so that the branch became bare before auy leaves had 
fallen from the other trees. He did not again operate on tree No. 
2, but left it to take its chance. The rim that was cut into the 
alburnum of the branch healed up completely, and at this time it is 
not to be discovered, an enlargement of the truuk of the tree 
having covered it up, and obliterated all trace of the operation. The 
branch appeared to be as sound and as well as any other on the 
tree ; but the tree itself was the least flourishing of the six, except the 
tree to which his observations would now alone apply. He did not 
conclude that this want of growth had been caused by the opera- 
tion upon one of its branches, but it was quite possible. In 1868, 
and in the autumn of each succeeding year, he removed a thin rim 
of woody matter from the branch, always cutting at the edge, away 
from the trunk of the tree. Each succeeding year a strong effort 
was made to repair the breech. The only absolute change in the 
tree itself was the fact that the leaves were always the last to 
come out, and the first to be shed, and that no flowers appeared on the 
branch itself. The late appearance of the leaves applied at first to 
the branch only, but now it applied to the whole of the tree, and not 
to the damaged branch alone. In the autumn of last year he re- 
moved a thin rim of wood without interfering with the bark. This 
ear small twigs on the branch had died away, and it being evident 
that he had reached the limit of endurance on the part of the 
patient, and that another vivisection would be fatal to the branch, 
