ORCHAR.) NOTES. 43 



edges of the mangled bark back to where it is firm and healthy, 

 and inserting cions at intervals of an inch or two around the 

 girdled portion. This is done by raising the bark, both above 

 and below the girdle, with the point of a knife, and putting under 

 it the end of a cion which has previously been made wedge 

 shaped at each end. The cion must be fresh, vigorous, young 

 wood and may be of the same tree, or of any other variety. 

 When finished the work will be as indicated in figure 8. 



To prevent drying of the wood, and of the edges of the bark 

 before the cions unite, it is well to cover the injured part with a 

 plastic made of clay and cow dung, and cover the whole with a 

 piece of burlap, — as an old fertilizer sack. 



A tree nearly a foot in diameter was treated by the writer as 

 described last spring, and every cion united and made a good 

 growth during the summer. 



Figure 9 shows a pear tree about thirty years old that was 

 bridge grafted when young. It is now more than a foot in 

 diameter and bears well every year. 



Better than repair, however, is the prevention of injury to a 

 young orchard. This may easily be accomplished by the use of 

 some protective covering at the base of the tree. The most 

 common materials used are wire screen, tarred paper, and wood 

 veneer. 



The protectors should be about two feet high, otherwise they 

 are not always efifective. They should also be pressed into the 

 ground so that mice cannot crawl under. The first cost of the 

 wire screen is greater than that of the others, but as it lasts 

 several years, and requires no attention after the first putting on 

 the cost is more than balanced by reduced amount of labor. 



The practice at the Station has been to get a roll of 3-foot wire 

 cloth and cut it into strips two feet long. These strips would 

 then make four protectors, each nine inches wide. There is an 

 advantage in using 2-foot wire, if available, because of the 

 selvage ends, and the reduced amount of cutting required. 

 These strips are put loosely about the tree and held in place with 

 small annealed wire at top, middle, and bottom. 



The strips of tarred paper are put on in the same way as the 

 wire cloth, and usually held in place with pieces of twine. It is 

 very important, however, that the paper be removed in the 

 spring, as otherwise the trees are in danger of scalding. The 

 material for protecting 400 young trees with wire last year, cost 



