OF FRUIT TREES. 75 



seam in the bark. If the tree be very much decayed, 

 do not cut away all the dead wood at once, which 

 would weaken the tree too much and endanger its be- 

 ing blown down by the wind. It will, therefore, be 

 necessary to leave part of the dead wood at first to 

 strengthen the tree, and to cut it out by degrees as 

 the new wood is formed. If there be any canker or 

 gum oozing, the infected parts rnuet be pared off or 

 cut with a proper instrument. When the stem is 

 very much decayed and hollow, it will be necessary 

 to open the ground and examine the roots ; then pro- 

 ceed as directed for hollow peach trees. 



By using the composition in a liquid state, more 

 than three fourths of the time and labour is saved ; 

 and I find it is not so liable to be thrown off as the lips 

 grow, as when laid on in the consistence of plaster : 

 it adheres firmly to the naked part of the wound, and 

 yet easily gives way as the new wood and bark ad- 

 vance. 



In his introduction to the American edition of For- 

 syth, Mr. W. Cobbett says, "During the last summer, 

 (1801,) I went with a party of friends to be an eye- 

 witness of the effects (of which 1 had heard such won- 

 ders related) of thi- gentleman's mode of cultivating 

 and curing trees ; and though my mind had received 

 a strong prepossession in its favour, what I saw very 

 far surpassed my expectations. Mr. Forsyth, whose 

 book was not then published, did us the favour to show 

 us the manuscript of it, and also the drawings for the 

 plates, which are now to be found at the end of the 

 work. After having read those parts of the manu- 

 script which more immediately referred to the draw- 

 ings, we went into the gardens, and there saw every 

 tree which the drawings were intended to represent, 

 and of which we found them to be a most exact rep- 

 resentation. We examined these trees from the ground 

 to the topmost branches ; we counted the joints in the 



