MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 93 
that fill the wood making it impervious to entrance of 
parasites. 
Under the first head are included creosote, carbolineum, 
corrosive sublimate, zine chloride, copper sulphate, etc. Of 
these, creosote and carbolineum are most generally used, 
but as both are injurious to the cambium, a coat of shellac 
should be applied before the disinfectant. 
The second class includes pure white lead and linseed oil 
paint, coal tar, slaters’ cement, liquid grafting wax, and 
asphalt preparations. Paint and tar are the most commonly 
employed, sometimes with unsatisfactory results, due to the 
fact that checking occurs when the wood dries out, leaving 
numerous openings for parasites. This, however, may be 
readily remedied by applying another coat after checking 
has taken place. The asphalt preparations are gradually 
superseding the others, being tough, elastic, and quite per- 
manent. They may be bought made up or prepared at 
home by melting the asphalt, then stirring in a quantity 
of fluxing oil such as gasolene or linseed oil, and finally 
adding some fiber to give it body. Whatever the dressing 
used, the work should be painstaking and thorough, for it 
is through the neglect of the wounds that decay begins and 
borers of all sorts infest the trees. 
Should the preventative have been neglected and decay 
set in, the tree should then be treated to prevent further 
decay, protected from parasites, and strengthened if it is 
hollow. Before any work is done, however, several factors 
should be considered: Is the tree valuable enough to spend 
a large sum of money repairing it? Is it located in a section 
where an incurable disease, such as chestnut blight, is prev- 
alent? Has it reached maturity? If so it might die off 
gradually despite repair. Is it situated in a grove, where 
it has no individual effect and where its absence will not 
be noticed? Has the fertilization, cultivation, watering been 
attended to properly? If after considering these points it 
is still deemed desirable to repair and fill a tree, the proper 
treatment must be determined upon. The cavities may be 
filled with concrete, asphalt, and other substances; they may 
be “tinned’’; or the “open” system may be practised. 
The preliminary steps for all these methods are similar. 
The tools used consist of carpenters’ gouges 34-14% inch in 
width, wooden mallets, chisels, saw, pruning knife, gaso- 
lene torch, ladders, scaffolds, etc. The first step is to exca- 
vate thoroughly all the rotten wood, using the gouge or 
chisel or even the gasolene torch. The mouth of the cavity 
should be shaped so that it will be wider in than out to 
