226 THE ORCHARD. [March. 



the cavity be large, you may cut away as much at one operation as 

 will be sufficient for three years. But in this you are to be guided 

 by the size of the wound, and other circumstances. When the 

 new wood, advancing from both sides of the wound, has almost met, 

 cut oft' the bark from both the edges, that the solid wood may join, 

 which, if properly managed, it will do, leaving only a slight seam 

 in the bark. If the tree be very much decayed, do not cut awav all 

 the dead wood at once, which would weaken the tree too much, if 

 a standard, and endanger its being blown down by the wind. It 

 will therefore be necessary to leave part of the dead wood at first, 

 to strengthen the tree, and to cut it out by degrees as the new wood 

 is formed. If there be any canker, or gum-oozing, the infected 

 parts must be pared oft', or cut out with a proper instrument. 



"Some months before the publication of the 'Observations on the 

 Diseases, &c.in Fruit and Forest Trees,' I had tried the composi- 

 tion in a liquid state, but did not think myself warranted to make 

 it public until I had experienced its effects through the winter. 

 The success answered my most sanguine expectations; and I have 

 used it in that way ever since. By using the composition in a 

 liquid state, more than three-fourths of the time and labour is 

 saved; and I find it is not so liable, to be thrown oft" as the lips 

 grow, as when laid on in the consistence of plaster; it adheres 

 firmly to the naked part of the wound, and yet easily gives way as 

 the new wood and bark advances. 



"The first time that I tried the composition in a liquid form was 

 upon an elm which had been planted about twenty years. It had 

 been very much bruised by the roller, had several cavities in it, and 

 was very much bark-bound besides. Having prepared the wounds, 

 and applied the composition with a painter's brush, I took my 

 knife and scarified the tree in four places; I also shaved oft', with 

 a drawknife, all the cankery outer bark, and covered the whole 

 tree with the composition, shaking the powder of wood-ashes and 

 burnt bones all over it. A very heavy rain began in the evening 

 and continued all night; yet, to my great surprise, in the morning, 

 I found that only some of the powder, which had not had time to 

 dry and incorporate with the composition, was washed off*. I now 

 repeated the powder, and without any thing more being done to 

 the tree, the wounds healed up and the bark was restored so 

 completely, that, three years ago, it could hardly be discerned 

 where the wounds had been. The scarifications had also disap- 

 peared. Some of the wounds were thirteen inches Ion;-;, eii^ht 

 broad, and three deep. Since the time when it was scarified, the 

 tree has increased ten inches more in circumference than a healthy 

 tree planted at the same time with it about sixteen feet distant, 

 which was not scarified." 



Barnes's Composition. 



"Melt together in a large earthen pipkin, two pound and a half 

 of common pitch, and half a pound of common turpentine, then put 

 in three quarters of an ounce of powder of aloes, stir them all 



