566 
accordingly found, that, by reducing it ti 3 a Small annular de¬ 
cortication, they bore plentifully. M. Lancry having con¬ 
firmed, the positions of Bufi’onj and added to it many experi¬ 
ments of his own, ascertained that fruit obtained in this man¬ 
ner, is considerably larger and ripens sooner by nearly three 
weeks, than that from the spontaneous production. 
It is evident, that nature forsakes, in a great measure, the 
part above which the operation has. been performed, from the 
tree ia almost every instance striking shoots below the wound. 
The practice we are now treating of, must therefore be limited 
to such trees, as are of a competent age, and only to a certain 
number of their branches; It is also so far from superseding 
the beneficial application of manure* that it more particularly 
requires it as the tree remains exhausted by a preternatural 
exertion. 
The result of M. Lancry’s practice, is: 
xst. That the operation is applicable to every species of 
fruit trees, but is more advantageous to vines, as the wood 
shoots freely* and requires to be often renewed. 
indly. That the best season to perform it in, is early in the 
spring, but may, however, be done occasionally in a more ad¬ 
vanced state of vegetation. 
3rd!y. That in order to have the wound closed up in the 
course of the year, a circumstance very essential to the re¬ 
storation of the tree from its temporary languor, the annular 
decortication should not in general exceed in length one-third 
of an inch. 
41 1 1 1 >'i That the bark should be perfectly scraped off front 
the woody substance. 
5thly. That if the tree should not produce fruit the same 
year the operation has been performed, it certainly will on the 
subsequent. 
The apple and pear trees of the tender varieties* which afe 
subject to canker, or lose by mortification during the winter 
the shoots of the preceding summer, bear fruit but seldom* 
and even then, it is of a bad quality. It will be of little avail 
to prune off the branches as they get cankered, because the 
succeeding ones perish like those which had preceded them. 
I will now describe a mode of treatment against this disorder* 
which has never yet failed me. As it restores the health of 
rite tree, it excites it to shoot out new wood, and in a few 
years makes it bear plentifully. The following instances will 
enable the reader to judge of its efficacy. 
About twelve years ago, I had a standard pear tree, of the 
sort, called here little St. Michael, which had been planted 
from sixteen to eighteen years in a good soil. It had been 
grafted on a free stock* but its boughs were so cankered, that 
it seldom bore, in the best years, more than five or six 
■wretched pears, tough, and full of crevices. After having, at 
several intervals, attempted to cure it to no purpose, by re¬ 
trenching the decayed parts, I ventured at length to cut off’ 
its top* having often observed, that forest trees which had 
been 
