182 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



ed in the bark and foliage : the bark became 

 smooth and glossy, and seemed sound and beauti- 

 ful ; and he thought the tree was greatly improved 

 in every respect. I have tried the same experi- 

 ment, and with equal advantage to apple trees; 

 and am persuaded they have been greatly bene- 

 fited by tliis process. It is used in the spring, and 

 may be repeated in the following years, as fre- 

 quently as the trees appear to require it. Mr.. 

 Peters declares, that he used soap suds without 

 beneficial effects : but it is probable that the soft 

 soap in substance is more powerful, and that hav- 

 ing more strength and virtue than the suds, as com- 

 monly made, it may more effectually destroy the 

 worms, bugs, and other insects, which so materially 

 injure the trees; arid it is believed to be in conse- 

 quence of their destruction, that the bark and 

 branches are enabled to derive so much improve- 

 ment from the application of this substance." 



Mr. Forsyth's treatise contains his method of 

 managing diseased pear trees, and, such as were 

 unfruitful from decay, and has clearly demonstrat- 

 ed, that the quantity of fruit was thereby remarka- 

 bly increased, and the quality greatly improved. 

 When old trees are affected with canker, or other- 

 wise diseased, by which they are rendered unpro- 

 ductive, his practice is, to head them down in May 

 or June, as near as possible to where they were 

 engrafted. By this method the young shoots soon 

 sprout forth, and grow so rapidly, that in two or 

 three years they bear fruit most abundantly. Mr. 

 F. illustrates his practical principles by two or 

 three striking examples, and by plates representing 

 the trees and fruit. One of the first four which 

 he headed down, was a Saint Germain, which pro- 

 duced nineteen fine, large, well-flavoured pears the 

 next year, and in the third, bore more fruit than it 

 did in its former state, when it was four times the 

 size. Another bore four hundred pears the second 



