160

A DISCOURSE

KOOK II.

unbarked them, as I observed in some goodly Ashes at Cafsiobury, (nearthe garden of that late noble Lord , and lover of planting, the Earl of'Efsex,) and are therefore to be destroyed by stopping up their entranceswith tar and goose-dung, or by conveying the fumes of brimstone intotheir cells; Cantharides ■ attack the Ash above all other Botts of theBeetle kind.- Chafers, &c..are to be shaken down and crushed ; andwhen they come in armies, (as sometimes in extraordinary droughts,) theyare to be driven away or destroyed with smoke, which also kills gnats .and flies of all sorts. Note, That the Rose-bug never, or very seldom,attacks any other tree whilst that sweet bush is in flower. Whole fieldshave been freed from worms by the reek and smoke of ox-dung wrapt inrnungy straw, well soaked with strong lye.

Earwigs and snails do seldom infest forest-trees, but those, which arefruit-bearers, and are destroyed by setting boards or tiles against thewalls, or the placing of Neat-hoofs, or any hollow thing upon smallstakes; also by enticing them into sweet waters, and by picking thesnails off betimes in the morning, and rainy evenings. T advise you tovisit your Cyprefs trees on the firff rains in April; you shall sometimesfind them covered with young snails no bigger than small peas. Lastly,branches, buds, and leaves suffer extremely from blasts, caterpillars,,locusts, rooks, &c. Note, that you should visit the boards, tiles, and-hoofs, which you set for the retreat of those insects, in the heat of theday, to shake them out, and kill them.

The blasted parts of trees, and gum, should be cut. away to the quick ;and to prevent it, smoak them in suspicious weather,, by burning moiststraw with the wind, or rather the dry and superfluous cuttings of aroma-tic plants, such as Rosemary, Lavender, Juniper, Bays, &c. I use towhip and chastise my Cyprefses with a wand, after their winter-burnings,till all the mortified and scorched parts fly off in dust, as long almost asany will fall,, and observe that they recover and spring the better. Mice,moles, and pismires cause the jaundice in trees, known, by the discolour ,of the leaves and buds.

The moles do much hurt, by making hollow pafsages, which growmusty ; but they may be taken in traps, and killed, as every woodman

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