182 THE PRACTICAL PLANTER. 



part affected, yet by this treatment, infection, 

 or the farther decay of the rest of the tree 

 will be prevented. 



I know there are some who scoff at the 

 idea of using plaister of any kind, urging for 

 argument, that the bark grows as fast toge- 

 ther of itself without this aid, and, why bury, 

 in the heart of the tree, a load of rubbish ? 

 But they certainly have not considered, that 

 a decayed part of the vegetable being buried 

 in its heart, cannot possibly again be reno- 

 vated, or become sound timber ; but on the 

 contrary, must operate to thle corruption of 

 the rest. 



And this question, why bury in the tree a 

 load of rubbish ? leads to a decision in favour 

 of using tar, since, besides that the body in- 

 closed is quite thin, it is of a genial, healing 

 nature, acts as a cement to the fracture, and! 

 afterwards becomes equally sound as the wood. 



And this may be demonstrated by exa- 

 mining Fir-trees which have been wantonly 

 hacked deeply, had holes bored into them for 

 fastening gates to, which have afterwards 

 been removed, and above all, in the opera- 

 tion of extracting rosin ; in all which cases, 



