150 EDITOR'S BOX. [Dec, 



art, my imagination went, therefore, in search of another way of 



accoimting for this pruning. The fountains of a fliower-garden may 

 be defective, not through the water disobeying the laws of gravita- 

 tion, but through the engineer having badly adapted its different 

 parts to suit their purposes, the result being that when all the jets 

 and sprays were on, the results were disappointing ; but when all 

 were cut off from the main pipe with the exception of one or two of 

 the principal ones, thus stopping a waste of water, then with this 

 additional force those left act all right, and thus far the pruner may 

 have learned his lesson from the water-fountain ; but, as the water 

 did not add to the Icngtli of the brass nozzle through which it passed, 

 the trees and fountains could scarcely bear comparison with each 

 other. 



Time passed on, as it always does, and at the end of a few more 

 years, I again found myself passing along by the same road and same 

 trees, and wished the pruner had then seen the results of his handi- 

 work. Here I found many of the stumps decayed and dropping off 

 in small fragments, with the live tree-fibre annually growing round 

 them, thus forming rings or cups round decayed centre-cores, which 

 caught and retained moisture, to accelerate the decay, while others 

 were healed over, leaving it to my imagination to picture the rotten- 

 ness it so delusively covered, and a third class of these stumps were 

 one mass of small spray, with parts of the bark rotted off, all in a 

 fair way, apparently, to deceive some unfortunate purchaser some day. 



A Tourist. 



PROTECTING TREES FROM GOATS. 



Sir, — I observe in your number of ' Forestey ' for November an 

 inquiry as to trees suffering from the effects of having been painted with 

 coal tar, as a preventive of the ravages of goats. To say the least of 

 it, I think the practice a very improper one, as all who take an interest 

 in trees know that anything that binds the bark, or closes the pores, 

 is certain to injure the tree. Coal tar, being a strong binding varnish, 

 does very well for wooden erections, but not for growing timber. 

 Another thing— chemically speaking — is that coal tar contains a 

 large amount of creosote, and consequently must injure a tree. 



I would suggest the following remedy for removing coal tar ; 

 namely, whale or seal oil foots and coal tar naphtha, one part foots, 

 and three parts naphtha, which can be laid on with a brush, and when 

 the coal tar becomes soft on the Ijark, the whole may be washed off 

 with paraffin oil. I have no doubt, had it been summer-time, the tar 

 would have become softer sooner. But as it is, I hope the foregoing 

 suggestion will have the desired effect. The foots may be got from 



