318 OBSERVATIONS ON THE DISEASES, &c. 



tion, of which we had the leaft reafon to doubt the fuccefs\ 

 We examined alfo ieveral experiments upon trees which* 

 (landing near each other, had been cut down, and to the 

 flems of which the Compofition had been applied, while the 

 others had been left to nature : the uniform refult of thefe 

 experiments appeared, that thofe flems to which the Compo- 

 fition had been applied had fhot up into healthy vigourous 

 trees, in far lefs time than we fhould have conceived poffible : 

 while thofe, left to unaflifled nature, had only produced irre- 

 gular, unhealthy fhoots, and were apparently in a ftate of 

 decay. Several experiments had alfo been made on decayed 

 and hollow Humps (where little or nothing but bark re- 

 mained) of Elms of very confiderable fize and age : from 

 thefe (lumps, by the application of the Compofition, healthy 

 trees have iffued, which have, in the fpace of five, fix, feven, 

 or eight years, attained to a fize and height which it appears 

 to us that trees fown or planted feldom attain to in thrice the 

 time. With a view to afcertain, as far as was in our power* 

 the quality of that wood which by the application of the 

 Compofition had been formed in the decayed and injured 

 parts of trees, we cut pieces of it out, and compared them 

 with other pieces cut out of the original wood of the fame 

 trees, and, after as accurate a fecreting and companion as we 

 were enabled to make, we could not difcover any difference 

 either in the colour or texture* 



Upon our obferving to Mr. Forfyth, that we had not yet 

 feen any fpecimens of theoperations of his Compofition upon 

 Oak-trees, he informed us, that, having at fir 11 confined his 

 experiments to other trees, which were in a ftate of greater 

 decay, he had none of the fame date (viz. from two to eight 

 years) to fhew us, but that we might fee many fpecimens,. of 



near 



