March. I THE ORCHARD. 225 



oft' the edges of the bark with a drawknife, or other instrument, 

 perfectly smooth, which must be particularly attended to; then 

 lay on the plaster about an eighth of an inch thick, all over the 

 part where the wood or bark has been so cut away, finishing oft' the 

 edges as thin as possible; then take a quantity of dry powder of 

 wood-ashes mixed with a sixth part of the same quantity of the 

 ashes of burnt bones, put it into a tin box, with holes in the top, 

 and shake the powder on the surface of the plaster, till the whole 

 is covered over with it, letting it remain for half an hour, to absorb 

 the moisture; then apply more powder, rubbing it on gently with 

 the hand, and repeating the application of the powder till the whole 

 plaster becomes a dry smooth surface. 



"AH trees cut down near the ground should have the surface 

 made quite smooth, rounding it oft' in a small degree, as before 

 mentioned; and the dry powder directed to be used afterwards 

 should have an equal quantity of powder of alabaster mixed with 

 it, in order the better to resist the dripping of trees and heavy rains. 



"If any of the composition be left for a future occasion, it should 

 be kept in a tub or other vessel, and urine of any kind poured on it, 

 so as to cover the surface; otherwise the atmosphere will greatly 

 hurt the efficacy of the application. 



"Where lime rubbish of old buildings cannot be easily got, 

 take pounded chalk, or common lime, after having been slacked a 

 month at least. 



"As the growth of the tree will gradually affect the plaster, by 

 raisins up its ed«;es next the bark, care should be taken, when that 

 happens, to rub it over with the finger when occasion may require 

 (which is best done when moistened by rain,) that the plaster may 

 be kept whole, to prevent the air and wet from penetrating into the 

 wound." 



Addiliontd directions for making and using the composition. 



To the foregoing directions for making and applying the com- 

 position, it is necessary to add the following: 



"As the best way of using the composition is found by experience 

 to be in a liquid state, it must, therefore, be reduced to the con- 

 sistence of pretty thick paint, by mixing it up with a sufficient 

 quantity of urine and soap-suds, and laid on with a painter's brush. 

 The powder of wood-ashes and burnt bones is to be applied as 

 before directed, patting it down with the hand. 



"When trees are become hollow, you must scoop out all the rot- 

 ten, loose and dead parts of the trunk till you come to the solid 

 wood, leaving the surface smooth; then cover the hollow, and 

 every part where the canker has been cut out, or branches lopped 

 oft', with the composition; and, as the edges grow, take care not to 

 let the new wood come in contact with the dead, part of which it 

 may be sometimes necessary to leave; but cut out the old dead 

 wood as the new advances, keeping a hollow between them, to allow 

 the new wood room to extend itself, and thereby fill up the cavity, 

 which it will do in time, so as to make, as it were, a new tree. It 

 2E 



