VI. DISEASES OP FRUIT-TREE3. 



DISEASES AND VERMIN. 



287. I HAVE reserved until now the remarks necessary 

 to be made upon the diseases to which fruit-trees are 

 subject -, and also on the insects and other mischievous 

 living things by which they are injured, I have re- 

 served, too, until now, the observations to be made re- 

 lative to divers mischievous insects which do injury to 

 the herbaceous plants of the kitchen-garden. I shall 

 now speak of the whole under one head, which would 

 be more convenient to the reader than if the remarks 

 with regard to them had been scattered throughout the 

 book. 



288. CANKER. Apple-trees are greatly afflicted by 

 the canker, which is a rotting of the bark in particular 

 spots ; producing, in time, the destruction of the branch 

 or limb. If perceived when at first coming, it may 

 sometimes be cut quite out j and, if that cannot be done, 

 its ravages may be staid by paring off all the perished 

 bark till you come to the quick, and cutting the edges of 

 that quick very smooth with a very sharp knife, this 

 bark will grow a little again and have round edges ; the 

 place should be washed once or twice a year with soap 

 and water to keep out the insects, which are always en- 

 deavouring to harbour round these wounded spots. As 

 to the putting on of plaister of any kind, I have tried it 

 often, and have never found it of any use. But, observe, 

 neither a tree nor a limb is to be abandoned merely 

 because it is cankered : in many cases, the cankered 

 part of the tree bears best ; and it so happens that I have 

 an apple-tree, at this time one limb of which is half cut 



