65 



dener at Newick Place, in Sussex, agrees with our 

 own. He says that the canker may be avoided in 

 most instances by paying proper attention to the soil 

 in which the tree is planted. Canker, he thinks, will 

 seldom occur if the surface-soil is good, for in that 

 case the roots will never descend into the prejudicial 

 subsoil, but spread out their radicles near the surface, 

 where they find food most abundant. If this is not 

 kept up, the roots descend into the obnoxious substra- 

 tum, and the disease assuredly follows.* 



It remains for us to detail the course of treatment 

 that we have always found successful in effecting a 

 cure in any variety not decrepit from age, if the canker 

 has not spread to the roots. 



Having completely headed down, if the canker is 

 generally prevalent, or duly thinned the branches, 

 entirely removed every small one that is in the least 

 degree diseased, and cut away the decayed parts of 

 the larger, so as not to leave a single speck of the 

 decayed wood, we cover over the surface of each 

 wound with a mixture, whilst in a melted state, of 

 equal parts tar and resin, applying it with a brush 

 immediately after the amputations have been per- 

 formed, taking care to select a dry day. We prefer this 

 to any composition with a basis of cow-dung and clay, 



* Baxter's Library of Agric. and Hortic. Knowledge, 3rd 

 Edit. 22. 



F 



