HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL, 13 



of the roots, they are only a bundle of prongs, without a solitary fibre; hence 

 the great success of transplanting pears on the quince stock. I know a friend 

 near Bristol, Pa., who transplanted over three hundred pear trees all on the 

 quince, obtained from a Philadelphia nursery, and lost only two or three 

 trees, not more, and many of them produced fruit that was exhibited in Phi- 

 ladelphia, fully ripe and of large size, within six months of the day of plant- 

 ing. I have obtained similar results, but not on so large a scale ; and any 

 of your readers who will follow the same course will arrive at and may easily 

 surpass all that is herein expressed. G. T. 



Chester, Pa., Dee. 1853. 



MANAGEMENT OF CIDER APPLE TREES. 



Utility of taking off the old bark of trees, and the best way of per- 

 forming that operation. — This extremely useful practice appears to be of 

 Norman origin. Its introduction is due to the Abbe Adrien Le Gendre ? 

 cure of Henouville, near Rouen, about the time of Louis XIIL, therefore 

 this practice must have been in use nearly two centuries. Nothing is more 

 injurious to the trees than the old dead and cracked bark on the stem and 

 thick branches, as it affords a soil and footing for mosses and lichens. Pro- 

 tected by these cryptogamic plants, and hidden in the crevices of the bark, 

 great quantities of eggs are hatched ; and here also numerous larvse wait 

 for the return of vegetation, in order that they may mount into the top of 

 the tree, and devour the buds, leaves, and flowers as they come out. The 

 removal of the old bark is doubly advantageous, inasmuch as the living bark 

 is brought in contact with the air, and myriads of insects, prejudicial to 

 trees, are destroyed. But, in performing this operation, we must be care- 

 ful not to take off the live bark, and lay bare the alburnum, for in that case 

 almost as much harm as good would be done. The best time for the opera- 

 tion is after heavy rain, as the dead bark is detached much more easily when 

 it is moist. When there are no scrapers for the purpose, old spades, Dutch 

 hoes, &c, may be used, but the edge of the instrument should not be too 

 sharp, lest it should go to the quick. As soon as the trees have been scraped, 

 all the bark, moss, &c, should be collected and burnt ; for unless that is 

 immediately done, the larvae will not be long in taking shelter in the ground, 

 or in the grass round the bottom of the tree. After this, and especially if 

 the trees have been scraped too near the quick, it is well to apply, with a 

 paint brush, or with a soft broom, a sort of wash made of fresh cow-dung, to 

 which is added a little clay ; this is diluted with urine, in which some lumps 



