524 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I762. 



yet necessary, alteration in all computed values, on annuities to be granted to 

 persons in the latter part of life? 



XII. Experiments on Checking the too Luxuriant Groivth of Fruit Trees, tend- 

 ing to dispose them to produce Fruit, By K. Fitzgerald, Esq., F. R.S. p. 7 1 . 

 Mr. F. had observed a method taken to bring young trees to bear, when 

 planted in too rich a soil, by cutting away part of the bark from some of the 

 main branches. This method had brought them soon to bear plentifully; but it 

 leaves an ugly wound, the wood continuing bare, and apt to rot in that part. 

 He had some young plumb and cherry trees planted against a north pale, in a 

 very rich soil. The plumb trees had in 3 years shot forth the extremities of 

 their branches to 13 or l6 feet distance, and had quite covered and overtopped 

 the pale. As the cutting away of any of these branches would make the rest 

 shoot the stronger, he made the following experiments about the middle of 

 August 1758. 



He made a circular incision on the main arms of an Orleans plumb tree, near 

 the stem, quite through the bark, where it was smooth, and free from knots. 

 About 3 or 4 inches higher, he made another incision, in the same manner; 

 then making an incision lengthwise, from the upper to the under circumcision, 

 he separated the bark entirely from the intermediate wood, covering it, and also 

 the bare part of the wood, to keep the air from the wound ; and letting them 

 remain so for about a quarter of an hour, when the wound began to bleed, he 

 replaced the bark as exactly as he could, and bound it round pretty tightly with 

 bass, so as to cover the wound entirely, and also about half an inch above and 

 below the circumcisions. He treated the entire stem of a duke cherry tree in 

 the same manner, about 10 inches from the ground, and below all its branches. 

 Also several branches of a morelli cherry tree; and the main arms of two per- 

 drigon plumb trees. These last two were old trees, which had been cut to the 

 ground about 4 years before, and had shot forth very luxuriant branches, but had 

 not since borne any fruit. In about a month's time the bark of these began to 

 swell, both above and below the binding, when he unbound each of them, and 

 found the several parts, that had been replaced, all fairly healed except one, 

 which was on the main arm of the perdrigon plumb tree, part of which was 

 healed, and about an inch in breadth of the bark on one side of the longitudinal 

 incision, remained loose, and afterwards dropped off. He bound them all again 

 lightly with bass, and let them remain so till the beginning of the summer fol- 

 lowing: when he took off the binding entirely, and found them all healthy and 

 flourishing. Each of these trees bore plentifully that season, though in general 

 reckoned a bad year for fruit. 



This induced him, in the beginning of August 1759, to make similar experi- 



