MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT TREES, &c. 167 



young trees do not thrive, either to blame the nurserymen for 

 sending bad or diseased trees, or to attribute their unthriving 

 state to the nature of the soil ; whereas the fact is, that this 

 frequently arises from the inattention or mismanagement of 

 the person who plants and superintends them. If the injured 

 and diseased parts be not cut out at an early period, the trees 

 will not thrive, but will become cankery and stunted, and can- 

 not be recovered afterwards without a great deal of labour 

 and trouble ; whereas, if the directions given for heading 

 trees the first year, and cutting out the diseased parts, be at- 

 tended to the trees will flourish, and bear large crops of fine 

 and well-flavoured fruit. 



The Gum, 



The Gum is a kind of gangrene incident to fruit-trees of 

 the stone kind, and arises from the following causes ; From 

 injudicious pruT^ing, from bruises, or any injuries received in 

 the wood or bark. This may happen from strokes of the ham- 

 mer in nailing, from pinching the shoots by nailing the shreds 

 too tight, or by driving the nails too close to the branches. It 

 may also be occasioned by leaving the foot-stalks of the fruit, 

 or by pruning in sumnner and cutting the shoots to short stumps, 

 and by injuries sustained by a careless application of ladders 

 in nailing and gathering the fruit, &c. but it particularly ori- 

 ginates where large limbs have been lopped or broken off. 

 This disease maybe known before the gum itself makes its ap- 

 pearance. The bark at first becomes of a brownish colour, 

 which gradually grows darker, till at last the gum begins to 

 ooze out like little blisters. As soon as any of these symp- 

 toms are observed, the infected part should be cut out with 

 a sharp instrument, and the composition and powder applied 

 immediately. You must observe to cut out the gum per- 

 fectly clean ; you will see it oozing out from between the wood 

 and bark: This must be followed till you come to the white 

 clean bark and wood. If afterwards any gum should make its 

 appearance, it must be scraped off ; which is best done when 

 it is moistened with rain, as you can then scrape it off easily 

 without hurting the bark. This must be done without delay, 

 otherwise the disease will rapidly advance. 



When trees are hollow, it will be necessary to examine 

 them carefully to see whether any grubs have entered the bark 

 and wood, which you will know by their perforating the bark. 

 If there be any, they must be carefully cut out before the com- 

 position is applied. 



