FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 115 



pruned for new bearing-limbs. When these have grown a 

 little, cut off more of the limbs, and go through the same 

 process with them, and so on, till they are all taken off. 

 Thus, a new set of thrifty limbs are given to the 

 which will be better bearers than the old. The 

 growths soon cover the stumps, so as to leave only a slJ| 

 eicatrix. 



He speaks of heading down some trees at once, and par- 

 ticularly recommends the heading down of all young trees 

 while in the nursery, by taking of the whole trunk a little 

 above the ground, and in the manner above directed, which 

 he says will greatly improve their future growth, and make 

 them better bearers. He mentions, particularly, some 

 young oaks^ he thus headed down, which afterwards grew 

 more than as fabt again as those which were not. 



He also describes a method of pruning the limbs at their 

 bearing ends. This is to take off the most prominent twig, 

 when it has become tired of bearing, close to the next 

 lateral branch ; and then this shoots forward and becomes 

 the bearer: When this has in like manner become tired 

 of bearing, the limb is to be taken cff, back at the next 

 lateral branch; and the next shoots forward again, and 

 so on. 



This may be a good plan to keep trees in the dwarf-state, 

 which is so much practised in^reatbritain ; it being neces- 

 sary there to raise much of their more tender fruit by the 

 sides of walls, made very high for the purpose, round the 

 fruit-gardens ; and there, the keeping of some kinds of fruit- 

 trees in the dwarf-state, is the more necessary. 



Fruit-trees are subject to a disease, called the canker. It 

 occasions the bark to grow rough and scaby, and turns the 

 wood affected to a rusty-brown color. It will sometimes 

 kill the tree, if not remedied in due season. 



This disease may arise from various causes; from bad 

 pruning ; from dead shoots left on the tree ; from frosts 

 killing the last year's shoots, Sec. 



The diseased parts are to be entirely cut away, till 

 nothing but sound white wood remains; or, if the disease 

 be merely in the bark, the outer bark must be cut away; 

 and if the inner bark be also affected, which is to be known 

 by its exhibiting small black spots, like the dots of a pen ; 

 cut all away that is thus affected, and let the composition 

 be applied, as before directed. 



In the Memoirs of the Philadelphia Agricultural Society, 

 we find mention of a disease of appletrees, called the bitter 

 rot. Whether this is merely another name for the canker, 

 we are unable to say. It is, however, cured by taking off 

 all the bark of the body of the tree, and some little distance 

 up the large limbs; when a new bark will presently form, 



