ADVERTISEMENT. iX 



applied with never-failing fuccefs to all kinds 

 of fruit-trees ; and has not only prevented fur- 

 ther decay, but adually reftored vegetation, 

 and increafed fruitfulnefs even in fuch as were 

 apparently barren and decayed." And, in a 

 letter to the commiflioners of the land revenue, 

 he declares that " he is able to fuggeft a com- 

 plete remedy for all the defedls (meaning, as 

 may be gathered from the Commiflioners' letter, 

 the " defedts in growing trees of all ages which 

 have fuflained damage from any caufe what- 

 ever") ; " and that remedy he fuppofes to be 

 known only to himfel/, as it is not a remedy 

 drawn from books, or learned from men." 

 Thefe aflertions may, for any thing I know, be 

 true ; but in perufing Evelyn's Silva, which was 

 firfl publilhed in the year 1678, in vol. ii. p. 149, 

 I read the following paragraph, which has, at 

 leafl, a great fimilarity to that wonderful re- 

 medy difcovered and divulged by Mr. For- 

 fyth: 



" Cankers, of all others the moft pernicious, 

 corroding, eating to the heart, and difficult to 

 cure (whether caufed by ftrokes or galling, or 

 by hot and burning l^nd), are to be cut out to 

 the quick, the fears implaftered with tar mingled 

 with oil, and over that a fpreading of loam, or 

 elfe with clay and dung." 



The 



