198 OBSERVATIONS ON THE DISEASES, &c. 



which is now divulged to the public*, will facilitate the means 

 of prosecuting them, to the essential advantage of the British 

 Empire. 



General Observations on the Diseases, Defects^ and Injuries, of 

 all Kinds of Fruit and Forest- Trees, 



In the course of more than thirty yenrs practice in culti- 

 vating, pruning, and keeping of garden fruit-trees, I have ob- 

 served, that from natural ciuses, accidents, and unskdful ma- 

 nagement, they weie subject to injuries of different kinds, 

 which always dlniLiished their fertility, and frequently render- 

 ed them wholly unproductive. 



All trees that bear stone-fruit are liable to emit a gum, 

 which, by producing a canker, proves fatal to the health and 

 vegetation of the tree. Most forest-trees are also liable to 

 what is called a bleeding, which proceeds from any injuries 

 that obstruct the circulation of the juices. Of those which 

 suffer from bad management or accidents, some are injured by 

 unskilful pruning, and lopping at improper seasons of the 

 year ; and others by Uie violence of high winds, having boughs 

 or limbs torn from their bodies ; which being left in that state, 

 exposed to all the inclemency of hard frosts, are often crack- 

 ed or rent in the wjood ; or from heavy and soaking rains, the 

 wounds imbibe so large a quantity of wet and moisture, as, 

 by causing a fermentation with the natural juices, brings on 

 disease, and in time destroys the health and vegetation of the 

 tree. These, among other causes, tend to produce decay and 

 barrenness in fruit-trees, as well as defects in timber, to the 

 great loss of the public in general, as well as essential injury to 

 the individual proprietor. 



To remove these evils, and to prevent the ill consequen- 

 ces arising from the causes already described, I submit to the 

 experience of the public a remedy discovered by myself, which 

 has been appli' d v^ith r;ev^i ir^:'irg success to ail kinds of fruit- 

 trees, and hah not only prevei.t^-d luither decay, but actually 

 restored vegetation and increased iruitfulness, even in such as 

 were apparently barren and decayed. It has produced also 

 a similar effect on forest-trees, by restoring them to soundness 

 of timber and healthful vegetation, and covering, as it were, 

 visible nakedness and increasing decay, with fresh and vigor- 

 ous foliage. 



This remedy is a composition formerly applied in the 

 inanner of a plaster, but now in a liquid state, and laid over 



* See Np,s 6 and 7i of the Appendix, 



