OF THE VINE 



69 



At the pruning season, therefore, make choice 

 of such shoots as come under the above descrip- 



worthy of observation to remark, that the pith of such shoots 

 decreases in proportion as the wood becomes more mature, and 

 its place occupied and filled with new wood, which shows that 

 wood grows internally as well as externally ; a consideration 

 from hence will enable us to solve a certain phenomenon in 

 forest trees. It is observable that the under branches of the 

 oak and other forest trees are constantly in a state of decay, 

 and especially in neglected woods of large trees where they 

 stand near together. And the custom has been in many places, 

 though a very injudicious one, to cut off those dead branches 

 even with the bole of the tree. But now suppose that a dead 

 branch of three, four, or more inches diameter happens to 

 stand inclining to a perpendicular direction, (which is fre- 

 quently the case,) and this be cut off in the above manner, it 

 generally proves extremely injurious, by causing a material 

 defect : for the bark of the tree soon rises round the base of 

 the stump, and thereby forms a kind of basin to receive the 

 falling rain ; and thus the remaining dead wood (for the lower 

 part of the branch inclosed in the tree dies also to a consider- 

 able depth) is soon brought into a state of decay, which, by 

 being infectious, becomes general, and often terminates in the 

 almost entire destruction of the tree. Let us now conceive a 

 branch of the above description left to nature, and observe the 

 consequence. Her efforts, as in critical cases of the human 

 body, will sometimes perform what the most eminent skill and 

 nicest art cannot accomplish. The upper part of the branch 

 soon decays, and naturally falls off first ; one may then really 

 conceive the remaining part to be as a peg or wooden pin, 

 shapen exactly, and fitting and filling up the wounded part for 

 the preservation of the tree. Here it should be understood, 

 for the upper part of this imaginary pin to extend beyond the 

 body of the tree, while its base below is grown over by the 

 annual increase 01 the bole. 



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