APPLES. 147 



lay the shortening of the young wood of the former 

 year till the middle or end of April, when the buds 

 have swollen. Cankered or diseased wood, and all un- 

 fruitful snags or ragged spurs, are then to be neatly 

 cut out. Where the scars are large, they should be laid 

 over with some composition calculated to resist the ac- 

 tion of the air and- rain. 



If the American blight, or woolly aphis (the Erioso- 

 ma 3Iali of Leach) makes its appearance on a tree, the 

 utmost care should be taken to clean every part of the 

 bark with a hard brush and some searching wash ; for, 

 should the- insect be left unmolested, it will speedily 

 spread over all the apple-trees in the neighborhood. 

 It is often inti'oduced with imported trees brought from 

 distant nurseries: when this is observed, the pest is so 

 grievous that the entire sacrifice of two or three trees 

 is a small price to pay for its removal. Mr. Waterton, 

 in his Essays 07i Natural History^ recommends a simple 

 remedy, which he found effectual, viz., mix clay with 

 water till it be of a. consistency to be applied like thick 

 paint to the injured parts, either with a trowel or a 

 brush; a second coat upon the first fills up every crack 

 which may show itself when the first coat becomes dry ; 

 the clay resists for a sufficient length of time the efi^ects 

 both of sun and rain, and before it gradually falls off 

 every insect is completely smothered. 



For the SXoring of Pears and Ajyples there should be 

 attached to every considerable garden a commodious 

 fruit-room, well ventilated, furnished with fire-places or 

 stoves to exclude, frost, and fitted up with a variety of 

 shelves. A northern aspect is the most suitable ; and 

 it is .also desirable that there should be a dry, cool cel- 

 lar under it, to be employed in retarding the maturation 



