March.] THE ORCHARD. 225 
otherwise their foliage would wither; and also in deciduous trees 
(that is such as shed their leaves in winter); because the branch of 
an ever-green tree, will grow on a deciduous tree, and not lose its 
leaves in winter, as the Prunus Lauro-Cerasus, or European laurel, 
On a cherry; and the ever-green oak, on a common oak. 
When pruning is judiciously done, and at a proper time, if 
the branches are small, a fresh bark and fresh wood, will in one 
season completely cover the wounds; but if large, a time propor- 
tionate to the size, will be necessary for their covering and healing; 
this process however, is much accelerated by the application of a 
proper composition, which excludes the air and wet, protects the 
wounds from the effects of the various changes of the weather, the 
surrounding bark from any injury by insects or worms, and yields to 
its growth: all these ends will be effectually answered, by an appli- 
catien of the medicated tar prescribed in page 47; and applied as 
there directed. 
The following compositions have been much spoken of: I shall 
therefore, publish them without any comments on their virtues, 
leaving the result to the experience of those who have, or shall have 
tried them; however, I must observe, that the methods of pruning 
old or decayed trees, recommended by Mr. Forsyth, and accom- 
panying his instructions for making the composition, are very judi- 
cious, and should be duly attended to, whatever composition may be- 
determined on, for use afterwards. 
Royal Gardens, Kensington, May 11, 1791. 
Directions for making a Composition for curing Diseases^ Defects^ 
and Injuries^ in all kinds of Fruit and Forest-Trees^ and the me- 
thod of preparing the Trees and laying on the Composition^ by 
William Forsyth. 
11 TAKE one bushel of fresh cow dung, half a bushel of lime 
Tubbish of old buildings, (that from the ceilings of rooms is prefer- 
able), half a bushel of wood ashes, and a sixteenth part of a bushel of 
pit or river sand: The three last articles are to be sifted fine before 
they are mixed; then work them well together with a spade, and af- 
terwards with a wooden bea'.er, until the stuff is very smooth, like 
fine plaster used for the ceilings of rooms. 
" The composition being thus made, care must be taken to pre- 
pare the tree properly for its application, by cutting away all* the 
dead, decayed, and injured part, till you come to the fresh sound 
wood, leaving the surface of the wood very smooth, and rounding 
off the edges of the bark with a draw-knife, or other instrument, 
perfectly smooth, which must be particularly attended to; then 
lay on the plaster about one eighth of an inch thick, all over the 
part where the wood or bark has been so cut away, finishing off the 
edges as thin as possible: then take a quantity of dry powder of 
wood ashes mixed with a sixth part of the same quantity of the 
ashes of burnt bones; put it into a tin box, with holes in the top, 
and shake the powder on the surface of the plaster, till the whole 
2 F 
