46 THE ORCHARD. 
But the misfortune is, that too frequently after orchards are 
planted and fenced, they have seldom any more care bestowed <ipon 
them. Boughs are suffered to hang dangling to the ground, their 
heads are so loaded with wood as to be almost impervious to sun 
and air, and they are left to be exhausted by moss, and injured by 
cattle, &c. 
By a redundancy of wood, the roots are exhausted unprofitably, 
the bearing wood is robbed of part of its sustenance, and the natural 
life of the tree unnecessarily shortened; whilst the superfluous wood 
endangers the tree, by giving the winds an additional power over it, 
and is injurious to the bearing wood, by retaining the damps, and 
preventing a due circulation of air. 
The outer branches only, are able to produce fruit properly; every 
inner and underling branch ought therefore to be removed. It is 
common to see fruit trees with two or three tiers of boughs pressing 
so hard upon one another, with i heir twigs so intimately interwoven, 
that a small bird can scarcely creep in among them. Trees thus ne- 
glected, acquire, from want of due ventilation, a stinted habit, and the 
fruit becomes of a crude inferior quality. 
The trees are very often almost entirely subdued by moss, which 
kills many, and injures others so much, that they are only an incum- 
brance to the ground, and a disgrace to the country. This evil 
may easily be checked, by scraping and rubbing off the moss at 
this season of the year, with a rounded iron scraper, &c. when men 
have little else to employ them; and only seek work, in idle, expen- 
sive, and unprofitable amusements. Draining the land, if too re- 
tentive of moisture, will sometimes prevent or cure moss: or dig- 
ging round the trees on the approach of winter, or in spring, and 
bringing fresh moutd, or the scouring of ponds and roads, or the 
rubbish of old walls, well prepared and pulverized, and laid round 
them. Whatever contributes to the health of the tree, will cure, 
or in some degree mitigate, this and other diseases. 
The above considerations ought to induce to an examination of 
your standard apple, pear, plum and cherry trees, &c. and where 
found necessary, to thin their branches, scrape and rub off moss, 
cut off all dead, or irregularly placed limbs and branches; and also 
any luxuriant unfruitful shoots, and such branches as appear to be 
in a decaying or cankery state; all of which, must be cut off close 
to where they were produced, or to some healthy leading branch, 
or shoot; for the bark cannot grow over a stumfi, because there is no 
power to draw the sap that way; for which reason, always cut rather 
a little within the wood. 
Smooth the cut parts, and if the amputations are large, apply 
thereto, a light covering of the medicated tar, below mentioned; 
which is to be laid on with a painting brush: if under an inch in 
diameter, it is scarcely worth while to go to that trouble, for such 
when well pruned, will heal and cover freely. 
Be particular to use a saw in taking off all the limbs and branches 
that are too large for the knife, and smooth the cut parts with either 
your pruning knife, or a neat draw-knife, which answers better, for 
large amputations. 
