85 



ance afresh; and when this subject is thus 

 under consideration, is it at all unreason- 

 able to conjecture, that this insect, or 

 some similar one may have been the 

 cause of the ablaqueation of trees prac- 

 tised by the ancients, or that this insect 

 may have increased of late from that 

 operation having been neglected by the 

 moderns. 



" The tree must have some recreation 

 ** given to it in winter after his great tra- 

 ** vail in bringing forth of his fruit, and 

 " that in this sort : as by opening the 

 •* earth and laying his roots bare, that you 

 ** may cleanse them. Afterwards at the 

 " end of winter you shall cover his roots 

 *• againe." Maison liusttque. 



From the foregoing observations, we 

 shall naturally conclude, that a tree being 

 constituted as it is above described, must 

 be hke the animal frame, subject to much 

 injury from external damage as well as 

 internal disease, l^ for instance we rup- 

 ture a blood vessel, an interruption of the 

 E 6 



