ON THE FOOD OF PLANTS. 133 



which was laid down for a cherry orchard, and 

 planted with fine young healthy standard trees, 

 that for two years made a beautiful and luxu- 

 riant growth, and the third year, in the spring, 

 they threw out their shoots with equal luxu- 

 riance; but before summer, I observed to my 

 astonishment, they were all withered and dead. 

 Not being able to assign a cause for such an 

 unusual failure, I called on the proprietor, to 

 enquire how it happened ; he seemed perfectly 

 resigned to what he called his ill luck, in having 

 them struck with a blight ; however, perceiving 

 no reason why his trees should be blighted, 

 whilst his neighbours all around, should escape 

 uninjured, I enquired farther as to the nature 

 of the subsoil, &c, when he told me he had been 

 at great expense and trouble to prepare the soil, 

 by giving it a thick covering of rich stable dung, 

 and trenching it in, a spit and a half deep with 

 the spade. I observed the trees had thrown 

 out a profuse discharge of gum, and have no 

 doubt, that during the two first years, the roots 

 had not penetrated the dung, but on reaching 

 it the third year, they were poisoned; or so 

 glutted with such impure food, as to be thus 

 diseased and destroyed. 



Whatever devastation may be committed by 

 the insect or fungus tribe, to trees or plants, 



K 3 



