164 TREATISE ON THE CULTURE AND 



The truth of the foregoing observations will appear evi- 

 dent to any person who takes notice of the apple-trees with 

 their mutilated stag-looking heads, as he rides or walks along 

 the road. 



It is a general opinion, that the canker in all trees proceeds 

 from the nature of the ground in which they are planted \ such 

 as a sour clay, a shingly or gravely soil, &c. 



My late and much esteemed friend Mr. Hudson, author 

 of the ^ Flora Anglica', was of this opinion, till I convinced him 

 of the contrary by some experiments made at Nutwell, near 

 Exeter, the seat of the late Sir Francis Drake, a gentleman 

 very fond of gardening and agriculture. Mr. Hudson said, it 

 would be to no purpose to make any attempt to cure the apple- 

 trees, as the ground was of such a nature as to bring on the 

 canker. The trees were, indeed, in a sad condition, being 

 covered all over with lichens and moss, and very much in- 

 fected with the canker. I requested Mr. Hudson to fix on 

 some of the worst ; we then desired the gardener to open the 

 ground round their roots, which we found perfectly sound, the 

 bark of them smooth, and not the least appearance of the can- 

 ker to be seen. 



The canker, as before observed, proceeds from bruises in 

 the bark, from limbs cut off, &c. When these limbs begin to 

 rot and grow hollow, they convey the canker to the root; for 

 it always proceeds from the branches and stem to the roots, and 

 never from the roots to the tree. 



It is granted, however, that all fruit-trees love a fine rich 

 mellow loam, and thrive much better in it than in a shingly or 

 gravely soil. 



When by accident, or improper treatment, trees receive 

 large wounds, and the cure is left to nature, they are frequently 

 overrun with gum and canker, which, if not checked, will in 

 a short time totally ruin them. 



In this case you must carefully pare off, with a draw-knife, 

 or any other convenient instrument, all the diseased part of 

 the bark. The inner white bark is frequently infected ; this 

 must also be cut away till no appearance of infection remains. 

 The infection in the inner bark appears like dots made with a 

 pen, all of which must be cut clean out ; for, if any part of 

 the canker be left, it v/ill infect the new wood and bark. 

 Wherever vou see gum oozing out, you may rest assured that 

 the canker is not quite eradicated ; which, if suffered to remain, 

 will spread till the whole tree becomes a mass of gum and can- 

 ter, and will be killed in a very short time. 



