COMPOSITION FOR HEALING WOUNDS IN TREES. From the London "Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Ma. nufactures, Fashions and Politics, for March 1809:" I HAVE great satisfaction in submitting to my readers the following communication from Earl Stanhope, a nobleman, whose studies have been invariably directed towards the advancement of those branches of useful science, which tend more particularly to promote the welfare of mankind in general. SIR, To the Editor of the Repository, &c. . Berner's street, Feb. 13, 1809. THE subject mentioned in your letter to me of yesterday's date, relative to the healing of wounded trees, is certainly very interesting; I will therefore (agreeably to your wish) inform you of my success, and in what manner I have obtained it. The injury which is done to timber trees, and other trees, from the loss of large branches, occasioned by wind, or other wise, is much greater than people in general are aware of. Every attentive person may easily perceive the local injury which takes place at and near the wound, where the tree becomes evidently rotten; but there is, in addition thereto, a general injury to the tree, which is produced in the following manner. When wet gets in at the wounded part, it finds its way downwards, between the solid wood and the bark, through the capillary intervals where the sap rises. As the wet, so introduced, cannot get out, it frequently tends to cause the bark to decay at the bottom of the tree, just above, or at the top of the ground. The capillary attraction, which causes the sap to rise, grows gradually weaker; the tree gets sickly; the tips of its upper boughs become rotten and that fresh injury lets in more wet, which hastens the general decay so that timber trees of the first size sometimes become hollow, or otherwise unsound, though the whole injury origina ted, perhaps, from the loss of a single large branch. To remedy these evils, I have applied to the wounds a composition that I discovered many years ago, and which, when properly used, has succeeded even beyond my expectation; for not only the bark grows over the wounds, gradually pushing off the composition, but even the white wood, as it is commonly called, grows under the new bark, so as to produce a radical and a complete local cure. Whether the local cure thus accomplished, will, or will not, stop the general decay, which proceeds from the united causes I have alluded to, will depend upon the degree of general injury that the tree had received previously to the composition having been applied, and likewise on the number of small branches, or boughs, broken off; inasmuch as a tree can receive, in the manner I have described, the same degree of general injury from several broken boughs, as it may from the loss of one branch of the largest dimensions. Wounds of an uncommon size in the bark of the trunk of the tree itself, have been completely healed by the same means. I have tried this plan on a great number of different sorts of trees, and I have always succeeded, if the composition was properly applied, and in due time one application of the composition will frequently be quite sufficient, but some trees require it to be applied more than once. The elm, when very vigorous, is, generally speaking, of the latter description, on account of the great quantity of sap which weeps from its wounds, especially when the wounds are of a considerable size. Oak, beech, chesnut, walnut, ash, elm, cedar, fir, asp, lime, sycamore, and birch trees, are, by an act of parliament of the 6th year of his present majesty, deemed and taken to be timber trees; and by an act of the 13th of the king, poplar, alder, larch, maple, and horn-beam, are also deemed and taken to be timber trees. The trial has been made on the greater number of these seventeen sorts, as well as on yew, horse-chesnut, and appletrees, on various fruit and other trees, laurels, and shrubs. If it be wished to saw the limb off, either close to the body of the tree, or near to it, great care should be taken that the sepa rated limb, in falling, does not tear off the bark from the tree itself. This may be accomplished by first separating from the tree the greater part of the limb, and then taking off the remaining stump, and also by sawing the bark of the limb completely all around before the wood itself is divided. If the limb be a very large one, a rope properly tied to it may be advantageously used, to prevent its injuring the tree at the moment of its being separated from it. After the broken limb has been sawed off, the whole of the saw-cut must be very carefully pared away, by means of a spokeshaver, chisel, or other sharp tool; and the rough edges of the bark must, in particular, be made quite smooth: the doing of this properly is of great consequence. When the saw-cut is completely pared off, the composition hereafter mentioned must be laid on, hot, about the thickness of half-a-crown, over the wounded place, and over the edges of the surrounding bark: it should be spread with a hot trowel. The most convenient tool for this purpose, is a trowel somewhat similar in form to those used by plasterers, but of a greater thickness (such as of a quarter of an inch) in order to retain the heat the longer. The healing composition is to be made as follows: Take, of dry pounded chalk, three measures; and of common vegetable tar, one measure; mix them thoroughly, and boil them, with a low heat, till the composition becomes of the consistency of beeswax it may be preserved for use, in this state, for any length of time. If chalk cannot conveniently be got, dry brick-dust, which has passed through a fine sieve, may be substituted. I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, STANHOPE. REMARKS. THE Composition of Earl Stanhope, is certainly preferable to the celebrated one by Mr. Forsyth, of lime rubbish, cow manure, and bone dust, which is objectionable from the nature of one of the ingredients, from the difficulty and trouble in making enough of the last mentiohed article, and from the frequent re newal which it requires, in rainy seasons. Many suppose that there is some particular healing or medicinal property in the composition; but that is not the case; its efficacy depends upor keeping out the air and wet, and any other preparation capable of doing that, will answer as well as that of Forsyth. Mr. Bucknal, a celebrated orchardist, who had the care of the king's garden at Hampton Court, recommended tar and corrosive sublimate: I cannot see the utility of the latter ingredient. EDITOR. ACCOUNT Of the produce of Milk and Butter from a Cow, the property of William Cramp, of Lewes, county of Sussex, England, for one season. (From Communications to Board of Agriculture, vol. 5.) IN 48 weeks, viz. from the 1st of May to the 2d of April, the cow produced 540 lbs. of butter, which sold for 1s. 6d. per lb. except for three weeks, when it brought only 1s. 4d.: total amount £41 7. The quantity of milk given, during the same time, amounted to 4921 quarts; being measured, when milked from the cow, there must be deducted for cream 540 quarts, leaving 4381 quarts of skim milk as the result; which being sold at one penny per quart, produced £.18 5 1. Four large waggon loads of dung were made, and valued at 15s. per load, thoroughly rotten. Calf sold for Total produce The following expenses were incurred : £. 1 10 0 62 12 1 £.64 21 Grain consumed inthe summer, during 26 weeks, 3 1-2 bushels Bran, 1 1-2 bushels per week, at 8d. per bushel, £.1 10 4 1 6 0 £.2 16 4 Amount of expenses brought over, £.2 16 4 Winter, 26 weeks, grain consumed 8 bushels, at 6d. per bushel, Bran, 4 bushels per week, at 8d. per bushel, Half hundred weight of hay per week, at 5s. 6d. per A Rent of land, whereon were raised the lucern, clover, carrots, &c. Wages of a man, at the rate of £.52 per annum, supposing him to attend ten cows, the tenth part of which is To the farrier for three drinks at the time of 3 9 4 3 11 6: 0 15 0 calving, Produce, Expenses, Profit, 06 0 £.21 6 2 £.64 12 1 21 6 2 £.43 5 11 The cow was fed with artificial grasses, sown on the following measured plats of ground: No. 1. A plat sown with red clover and rye No. 3. Do. sown with cow grass and white clover, O 17 No. 4. Do. sown with red and white clover, The grass was cut and given to the cow in a rack, in her hovel, where she had a plat of about 18 square perches to range in. During the summer, she was fed on the above, three or four times a day, and at noon about 4 gallons of grain and 2 of bran, mixed; always observing to give her no more food than she |