158 



A DISCOURSE 



BOOK II. 1683, split many stately timber-trees from head to foot ; which, as the 

 ^^^'^^^'^ weather grew milder, closed again, so as hardly to be discerned, but 

 were found at the felling, miserably shattered, and good for little. The 

 best prevention is shelter, choice of place for the plantation, and frequent 

 shredding, whilst they are yet in their youth. Wind-shaken is discovered 

 by certain ribs, boils, and swellings on the bark, beginning at the foot 

 of the stem, and ascending the body of the tree to the boughs. But 

 against such frosts and fire from heaven there is no charm. 



Cankers, of all other diseases the most pernicious, corroding, and eating 

 to the heart, and difficult to cure, (whether caused by some stroke, or 

 galling, or by hot and burning land,) are to be cut out to the quick, the 

 scars emplastered with tar mingled with oil, and over that a thin spread- 

 ing of loam, or else with clay and horse-dung ; but best with hogs'-dung 

 alone, bound to it in a rag ; or by laying wood-ashes, nettles, or fern to 

 the roots. You will know if the cure be effected, by the colour of the 

 wounds growing fresh and green, and not reddish : but if the gangrene 

 be within, it must be cured by nitrous, sulphureous, and drying appli- 

 cations, and by no means by any thing of an unctuous nature, which is 

 exitial to trees, tar, as was said, only excepted, which I have experi- 

 mentally known to preserve trees from the envenomed teeth of goats, 

 and other injuries ; the entire stem smeared over, without the least pre- 

 judice, and to my no small admiration. But for over-hot and torrid 

 land, you must sadden the mould about the root with pond-mud and 

 neats'-dung ; and by graffing fruit-trees on stocks raised in the same 

 mould, as being more homogeneous. 



Hollowness is contracted, Avhen, by reason of the ignorant or careless 

 lopping of a tree, the wet is suffered to fall perpendicvdarly upon a part, 

 especially the head, or any other part or arms, by which m.eans the rain 

 is conducted to the very heart of the stem and body of the tree, which it 

 soon rots. In this case, if there be sufficient sound wood, cut it to the 

 quick, and close to the body, and cap the hollow part with a tarpaulin, or 

 fill it with good stiff loam, horse-dung, and fine hay mingled, or with 

 weU-tempered mortar, covering it with apiece of tarpaulin. This is one 

 of the worst evils, and to which the Elm is most obnoxious. Old broken 



