114 FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 



brush, and covered, as before directed, with the powder. 

 As i he bark on the edges grows over this covered wood, it 

 works f'ff the composition and supplies its place, till at 

 length the bark of the two edges meets and grows together. 

 If the growing bark should raise up any flakes of the com- 

 position, so as to expose the wood, let them be pressed 

 down with the finger some rainy day, when the composition 

 is pliable. 



Where a tree would be too much weakened, by cuting 

 away all its dead wood at once, cut only a part away next 

 the edges, and as the bark covers this cut away more. 

 Where limbs are cut off, let the stumps be pared smooth 

 and ihe edges rounded, before the composition is laid on. 

 He says, this should always be applied wherever a limb is 

 cut off, in order to preserve the tree from roting at such 

 places. 



He makes mention of many old decayed trees, some 

 of whose trunks were roted away two-thirds, and half 

 of the roots gone, which he restored to a sound flourishing 

 state, by the process above described. It is, however, said, 

 that some who have tried the experiment in this Country 

 have riot been successful ; but, whether this may be ascrib- 

 ed to a want of skill in the performance, or a difference in 

 climate, is perhaps not well ascertained. Perhaps the com- 

 position ought to varied in its materials, so as to be better 

 adapted to the greater degree of heat and dryness which 

 prevails in our atmosphere. 



He also makes mention of shaving off all the cankery 

 bark of old stunted trees, then scarifying the remaining 

 bark, where they were bark-bound, and covering the whole 

 with his composition, which produced a surprising altera- 

 tion in their growth. 



In lieu of the above composition, the following has been 

 successfully used about Albany, for healing the wood, and 

 for covering the stock in grafting : Take two parts of bees- 

 wax, one of rosin, and one of hogslard ; melt them, and 

 blend them together. It must b*made soft enough to put 

 it on with the hand ; and let it be laid on thickest round 

 the edges and thinly in the middle. If it become too soft f 

 during the heats of Summer, let a little powdered rosin be 

 sprinkled over it. 



Mr. Forsyth's method of heading down trees, in order to 

 renovate their growth, and to procure a new set of straight, 

 thrifty, bearing limbs, is as follows: First, take off one or 

 two ot the principal limbs, just above an eye; let them be 

 cut slanting downwards, with the sides where the eye is 

 the highest; pare and round off the ends of the stumps, 

 and cover them with the composition. Presently, sprouts 

 will start out from the eyes, which are to be trained and 



