OF THE CANKER, AND GUM. 321 



thin, and give the tree a coat of tliis mixture all 

 over where the bark has been scraped oft'; the 

 cow-dung will adhere to it, and heal the parts 

 where you were obliged to scrape to the inner 

 bark. This wash will remain till the fresh bark 

 comes on; then it will be discharged of itself 

 during the Summer, or the next Spring, leaving a 

 new fresh smooth bark where the old and cankery 

 was taken off. Next Spring, if any of the old 

 bark remains, you may repeat the same operation, 

 which will cause all the remaining old bark to 

 slough off like a scab from a wound on the human 

 body. 



By these means you will keep your trees in a 

 fine flourishing healthy state, and, in general, 

 prevent them from becoming bark bound. If any 

 of them, notwithstanding, should be bark-bound, 

 you may scarify them, by taking a sharp knife, 

 and running the point of it straight down the 

 middle of the stem from top to bottom ; taking 

 care to run your knife through the outer bark 

 only, then, with a brush, or your finger, rub in 

 some of the Composition, to prevent the incision 

 from bringing on the canker. This operation will 

 cause the tree to expand the bark and become 

 very flourishing. 



Remember to cut oft* all the ends of the small 

 shoots where the canker had injured them last 

 year. Cut off* also the old fruit-stalks, and all the 

 small dead stubs, which, if left, will never fail to 

 bring on the canker. 



