64 
he removed it altogether from the tree about a month since, and he 
now presented it in section. The first vivisection, when made 
in 1860, was nearly 14 inches from the trunk of the tree. The 
whole length of the branch below the incision had now been absorbed 
into the trunk, clearly showing that there was no extension in the 
length of the wood of the branch below tbe incision, and that no 
deposit of woody fibre took place in the remainder of the branch 
between the incision and the trunk. There was no alteration at all 
in the condition of the bark below the cut. The bark might be seen 
in the specimen almost unaltered on the part which represented the 
absorbed branch on its upper surface, or in that which is called the 
axil of the branch. It goes down deep into the trunk of the tree, 
leaving a thin groove of epidermis, which is not in common with 
the groove of the trunk of the tree itself. This inability to come 
into actual union—an inability which was kept up by repeated 
vivisections-—-had led to a line being left and a way provided along 
which matter, foreign to ordinary trees, might find its way 
into the trunk. It is by channels such as this that fungus germs,-. 
parasitic plants, or other causes of decay gain access to the hearts 
wood of trees, and eventually cause the destruction of the giants o 
our forests. The hranch itself gave very little indication of its age 
—more than sixteen vears—but branches on the other trees of 
similar age were ten times the size. The circumference of the 
branch, four inches above the cut, was three inches, or one inch in 
diameter. The circumference of a branch of corresnonding age 
from tree No. 6, was 113 inches. He had removed that. branch, 
and a section of it was before the audience. It showed the rings 
which indicated its age, although they could not he made out in the 
lime tree with the same aceuracy as they could in manv other trees, 
in conseqnence of the little difference in colour which existed hetween 
the woody, the vascular, and the cellular tissue. It might he com- 
pared with a section of the branch which was operated on 16 years 
ago, when each branch was of the same size. Sixteen rings could 
te made out in the section on the larger branch which had been eut 
off about a foot from the trunk. It indicated at least two years less 
than the real age of the branch. Some of the rings were munch 
more defined and much broader than the others. There was an 
equal number of rings in the thinner and smaller branch which had 
heen cut from the branch operated on ; but they were so undefined 
that they could not be made out except by microscopic aid. The 
appearance showed most clearly that the growth of branches might 
be stunted by such operations without their vitality being destroyed, 
provided the operation did not cut too deeply into the woody tissue. 
The difference in the growth of the trunk above the wound, as com- 
pared with the part below, was also easily seen. The bark of the 
tree just below the wound was not thicker than it was on the branch 
tself, whilst the bark on the trunk above the wound showed a con- 
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