Jan.] the ORCHARD. 47 
The medicated tar is composed of half an ounce of corrosive 
sublimate, reduced to a fine powder, and then put into a three pint 
earthen pipkin, with about half a gill of gin, or other spirit, stirred 
well together, and the sublimate thus dissolved. The pipkin must 
then be filled by degrees with common tar, and constantly stirred 
till the mixture is intimately blended. This quantity will be suflB.- 
cient for two hundred trees. Being of a very poisonous nature, it 
should not be suffered to lie carelessly about the house. The sub- 
limate dissolves better when united with the same quantity of the 
spirit of hartshorn or of sal ammoniac. This mixture being apt to 
run, consistency may be given it by mixing it with either pounded 
chalk or whiting. 
The above composition will be found eminently useful, as no 
worm of any kind can live near its influence, and no evil whatever 
will arise to the trees from its poisonous quality^ it yields to the 
growth of the bark, and affords a complete protection to the parts 
against the influence of the weather. 
A solution of corrosive sublimate, made as directed under the 
head Orchard next month, will be found the most effectual wash 
that can be applied to peach and other trees for the destruction of 
the worm which so generally annoys them. 
Those who wish to apply Forsythe's or Barnes's compositions, 
will find instructions, both for making and applying them, under 
the head Orchard in March. 
When pruning is judiciously done, fruit-trees will come into 
bearing sooner, produce more abundantly, and continue in vigour 
for nearly double their common age. No branch of your orchard 
trees should ever be shortened unless for the figure of the tree or 
the reasons before mentioned, and then it should be taken off close, 
as before observed, to where it was produced, or to a leading shoot. 
The more the range of branches shoot circularly, a little inclining 
upwards, the more equally will the sap be distributed, and the 
better will the tree bear. The ranges of branches should not be too 
near each other, that the fruit and leaves should all have their full 
share of sun, and where it suits, the middle of the tree should be 
so free from wood that no branch crosses another, but all the 
extremities point upwards. 
If any of your particularly valuable fruit trees are partly decayed, 
or in a bad state of health, and you wish to attempt their re- 
storation by judicious pruning and the application of good com- 
position, you must defer it till March, or when the sap begins to 
ascend in spring, which will be manifest by the swelling of their 
budsj then prune them and apply the composition as directed in 
March. 
I am not an advocate for much doctoring with old decayed or 
sickly trees, but the reverse^ therefore recommend as the most 
preferable way to replace such with young healthy trees, so soon 
as they show strong symptoms of decay. Whenever you meet 
with a tree, the fruit of which you esteem, propagate it immediately 
whilst in health, by budding or grafting, &c.; and if it should after- 
wards get into a declined state, replace it with one of the same, or 
