BRANCH CRAFTING. 225 



recovery of old barren trees, which are fallen into decay, not 

 fo much from age, as from the forts of their fruits being of the 

 worn-out and deemed nearly loft varieties. 



Having long errtertained thefe thoughts, and been by no 

 means inattentive to the accomplilhnient of the defign, I at- 

 tempted to change their fruits by a new mode of engrafting, 

 and am bold enough to atTert that I have nloft fortunately New methoi^ 

 fucceeded in my experiments j working, if I am to be allowed S""'"** 

 to fay it, from the errors of other practitioners, as alfo from 

 thofe of my own habits. 



My name having feveral times appeared in the Tranfaclions 

 of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c. and having 

 the honour of being a member of that Society, I thought no 

 pains or expence would be too much for the completion of 

 fo defirable an improvement. Under thefe impreffions, and 

 having many trees of this defcription, I made an experiment 

 on three of them in March 1798, each being nearly a hundred 

 years old. They were not decayed in their bodies, and but 

 little in their branches. Two of thefe were golden pippins, 

 and the other was a golden rennet. Each likewife had been 

 paft a bearing ftate for feveral years. I alfo followed up the 

 practice on many more the fucceeding fpring, and that of the 

 laft year, to the number of forty at leaft, in my different 

 plantations *. 



The attempt has gone fo far beyond my moft fanguine ex- 

 pedation, that I beg of you. Sir, to introduce the fyHem to 

 the Society, for their approbation ; and I hope it will deferve 

 the honour of a place in their valuable Tranfadions. 



I direfted the procefs to be conduced as follows : Cut out Inftruftlons far 

 all the fpray wood, and make the tree a perfed Ikeleton, leav- ^'^^^""^ ^® 

 ing all the healthy limbs ; then clean the branches, and cut 

 the top of each branch off where it would meafure in circum- 

 ference from the fize of a (hilling to about that of a crown 

 piece. Some of the branches mufl of courfe be taken off 

 where it is a little larger, and fome fmaller, to preferve the 

 canopy or head of the tree ; and it will be necelTary to take out 

 the branches which crofs others, and obferve the arms are left 

 to fork off, fo that no confiderable opening is to be perceived 

 when you ftand under the tree, but that they may reprefent an 



• The average expence I calculated at 2s. 6d» each tree. 



2 uniform 



