242 TREATISE ON THE CULTURE AND 



Another caufe of the canker is, when we have very wet 

 Autumns, fuch as that of 1799, which prevents the young 

 wood from ripening, and a hard froft fetting in after it kills 

 the young (hoots : thefe, if left on the tree, will bring on the 

 canker, and increafe it rapidly. Birds and infects devouring 

 the buds will have the fame effecl:. 



Carelefs people frequently leave the dead fhoots on the tree 

 throughout the Summer, which will infallibly bring on the 

 canker. Some even leave them for years, until the tree is 

 totally killed. They fhould be cut off in the end of April, 

 or beginning of May ; as by that time you will be able to fee 

 how far the difeafe has advanced. I would advife to cut two 

 or three buds, or even more, below the apparently difeafed 

 part, as the canker frequently reaches a great way farther in 

 the heart of the fhoot than it appears to do on the outfide : 

 you muft cut down till the brown colour in the ihoot difap- 

 pears, and nothing remains but found white wood. 



The truth of the foregoing obfervations will appear evident 

 to any perfon who takes notice of the Apple-trees with their 

 mutilated ftag-looking heads, as he rides or walks along the 

 road. 



It is a general opinion, that the canker in all trees proceeds 

 from the nature of the ground in which they are planted ; 

 fuch as a four clay, a fhingly or gravelly foil, &c. 



My late and much efteemed friend Mr. Hudfon, author of 

 the " Flora Anglica," was of this opinion, till 1 convinced him 

 of the contrary by fome experiments made at Nutwell, near 

 Exeter, the feat of the late Sir Francis Drake, a gentleman 

 very fond of gardening and agriculture. Mr. Hudfon faid, 

 it would be to no purpofe to make any attempt to cure the 

 Apple-trees, as the ground was of fuch a nature as to bring 



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