JAN.] THE ORCHARD, 39 



life of the tree unnecessarily shortened ; whilst the superfluous wood 

 endangers the tree, by giving the winds an additional power over it, 

 and is injurious to the bearing wood, by retaining the damps, and 

 preventing a due circulation of air. 



The outer branches only, are able to produce fruit properly ; every 

 inner and underling branch ought therefore to be removed. It is 

 common to see fruit-trees with two or three tiers of boughs 

 pressing so hard upon one another, with their twigs so intimately 

 interwoven, that a small bird can scarcely creep in among them. 

 Trees thus neglected, acquire, from want of due ventilation, a 

 stinted habit, and the fruit becomes of a crude inferior quality. 



The trees are very often almost entirely subdued by moss, which 

 kills many, and injures others so much, that they are only an incum- 

 brance to the ground, and a disgrace to the country. This evil 

 may easily be checked, by scraping and rubbing off the moss at 

 this season of the year, with a rounded iron scraper, &c. when men 

 have little else to employ them ; and only seek work, in idle expen- 

 sive, and unprofitable amusements. Draining the land, if too re- 

 tentive of moisture, will sometimes prevent or cure moss : or dig- 

 ging round the trees on the approach of winter, or in spring, and 

 bringing fresh mould, or the scouring of ponds and roads, or the 

 rubbish of old walls, well prepared and pulverized, and laid round 

 them. Whatever contributes to the health of the tree, will cure, 

 or in some degree mitigate, this and other diseases. 



The above considerations ought to induce to an examination of 

 your standard apple, pear, plum and cherry trees, See. and where 

 found necessary, to thin their branches, scrape and rub off moss, 

 cut off all dead, or irregularly placed limbs and branches ; and also 

 any luxuriant unfruitful shoots, and such branches as appear to be 

 in a decaying or cankery state ; all of which, must be cut off close 

 to where they were produced, or to some healthy leading branch, 

 or shoot ;for the bark cannot grow over a stumfi, because there is no 

 power to draw the sap that way ; for which reason, always cut rather 

 a little within the wood. 



Smooth the cut parts, and if the amputations are large, apply 

 thereto, a light covering of the medicated tar, below mentioned ; 

 which is to be laid on with a painting brush : if under an inch in 

 diameter, it is scarcely worth while to go to that trouble, for such 

 when well pruned, will heal and cover freely. 



Be particular to use a saw in taking off all the limbs and branches 

 that are too large for the knife, and smooth the cut parts with 

 either your pruning knife, or a neat draw-knife, which answers better, 

 for large amputations. 



The medicated tar, is composed of half an ounce of corrosive sub- 

 limate, reduced to a fine powder, and then put into a three pint earthen 

 pipkin, with about half a gill of gin, or other spirit, stirred well 

 together, and the sublimate thus disolved. The pipkin must then 

 be filled by degrees with common tar, and constantly stirred till the 

 mixture is intimately blended. This quantity will be sufficient for 

 two hundred trees. Being of a very poisonous nature, it should not 

 be suffered to lie carelessly about the house. The sublimate dis- 

 solves better, when united with the same quantity of the spirit of 



