SECOND EDITION. XlX 



iiave made a good tree, is nothing wonderful ; 

 for the roots of ahnost all our grafted trees show 

 no disposition to perish with the graft or bud, 

 which they nourish ; and a shoot thus trained 

 would certainly make, as I have often observed, 

 as good a tree as any other of the same variety. 

 — But some trees do not readily emit young 

 shoots of this kind ; and I should like much to 

 know how many Peach or Nectarine Trees died 

 under Mr. Forsyth's process of rendering them 

 immortal." 



I consider myself much indebted to Mr* Knight 

 for the very handsome compliment that he has 

 here (imintentionally, it is true,) paid to my 

 practice. Could I be vain of any such thing, I 

 should certainly be so of this ; particularly as it 

 comes from one who will not easily be suspected 

 of any intention to flatter. It also places my 

 Composition in a much more conspicuous light 

 than that in which I should otherwise, perhaps, 

 have regarded it, 1 shall therefore answer him 

 with pleasure. From the manner in which the 

 question is put, it should seem, Mr. Knight 

 thinkg that the operation of cutting over a de- 

 cayed Peach-tree is of so dangerous a nature, as 

 to render it impossible to prevent a large propor- 

 tion of such trees as have been cut over from 

 dying. A great majority of those Gardeners 

 who have tried it, by the common mode of prac- 

 tice^ will perhaps coincide with him in this 



a 2 



