BECOVERY OF OAK WOOD. 



267 



When oaks formerly in a thriving state seem to 

 become hide-bound, it is often of use to slit the out- 

 er bark with the point of a very sharp knife from 

 top to bottom of the trunk, and along the principal 

 branches. Care must be taken in making the inci- 

 sion to keep the blade in such a position as to cut 

 through the outer bark, without piercing the inner 

 bark or liber If the tree is pretty large, several of 

 these longitudinal slits may be made at equal dis- 

 tances from one another in its stem, but the bark must 

 by no means be cut in a cross or transverse direction. 



I once recovered several old oaks, whose tops 

 were considerably advanced in decay, by the following 

 simple process : I laid lime on the surface, all round 

 the trees, and to the distance of several feet from 

 their stems, and dug it in as deep as was practica- 

 ble without injuring the roots. This was done in 

 the month of February, and the following summer 

 such a profusion of young shoots were put forth as 

 to hide from view every withered branch. Lime 

 seems indeed to be very salutary in reviving decidu- 

 ous trees of every description ; and I believe I have 



* In Vol. iv. Part ii. p. 395. of Memoirs of Caledonian Horti- 

 cultural Society, a slitter or scarificator is described and figured, 

 which by a simple contrivance prevents the possibility of cut- 

 ting too deep, or running the knife between the outer and in- 

 ner bark. 



