Wintei' Meeting. 231 



ticed to some extent and with apparent perfect success is to place a few 

 vertical drain pipes about the tree with the upper end just above or even 

 with the walk and covered with an iron grate. These should con- 

 nect with horizontal drains below. The moisture is not onlv more 

 evenly distributed in this way but the soil is better aerated. With the 

 soil in such a condition as to secure perfectly healthy root action half the 

 battle in growing street trees is won, for a tree with healthy root action 

 can endure much ill treatment from above. However if the top .is 

 neglected and allowed to continually become diseased and otherwise 

 mutilated the roots will accordingly suffer regardless of the kind of soil 

 in which they are planted. Due attention must therefore be given 

 the top. 



As previously stated many trees have died from lack of pruning 

 while others have been killed either by excessive or otherwise improper 

 methods of pruning. Some trees are thus ruined before they leave the 

 nursery, but more are injured after they have been moved to the street 

 as unskillful and unintelligent labor is more frequently employed there 

 than in the nursery. In fact, as a rule, but few intelligent, skillful 

 and conscientious laborers seem to be employed for the work. Many 

 possess one or perhaps two of the elements but lack the third, while all 

 are essential to properly do the work. One mistake is in waiting too 

 long before doing any pruning. The plants becoming overgrown as it 

 were, with many branches that reach so far up and out as to be easily 

 broken by winds, or if pruning is begun before the wind does its work 

 it will be found necessary to cut larger branches and remove so much 

 top that the trees will be more or less weakened by the shock. Pruning 

 should be done often and a little at a time. Again in removing side 

 branches the cuts are not made close to nor even with the main branches. 

 A portion of the branch is left which soon begins to decay and this in 

 time soon spreads over the entire tree. Cuts of this character should be 

 made parallel with the branch and close to it and the wound thus made 

 immediately covered with grafting wax, paint or perhaps best of all 

 coal tar to keep out insect enemies or germs of fungous diseases until a 

 new growth covers these parts. Careless workers often badly split the 

 wood near the cut but this can mostly be avoided by first sawing part 



