April 21, 1906 



HORTICULTURE 



519 



distance of two or three inches apart, preferably before 

 the paint has hardened. In eases where large limbs 

 have been filled with concrete it has been found advis- 

 able to insert one or more steel bars, extending them 

 along the center of the cavity into the trunk and imbed- 

 ding them in the concrete filling. 



For large cavities the concrete may be made of one 

 part Portland cement, three parts sand and five parts 

 broken stone, with a three-inch facing of equal parts 

 cement and sand, colored with lamp black to match the 

 bark. After the paint is thoroughly dry the concrete 

 may lie put in place, using heavy cardboard formers 

 fitted to the opening of the cavity and held in place by 

 small nails. The concrete should be mixed as dry as 

 possible to prevent "slumping" and should be firmly 



A "doctored" specimen, showing how advantage was taken of 

 old cuts for the purpose of entering the tree for cleaning and 

 filling. 



tamped in place. The formers may be removed within 

 an hour and the still moist surface pointed, the edge 

 of the filling being carried back beyond the line 

 of the cambium so that the latter will grow over and 

 not against the cement, as is commonly the case. If 

 the tree is comparatively young and thrifty it may be 

 expected to cover a wound eight to ten inches across 

 and thus completely enclose the cement body, but on old 

 trees where the opening cut has been large small hope 

 can be entertained of a complete healing, and it is well 

 under these circumstances to color the facing material 

 carefully and to corrugate tin:' surface in the imitation 

 of the surrounding bark. In cases vines may be trained 

 over the wound taking care that they be kept from the 

 branches of the tree as much as possible. Where rot- 

 ting has taken place in a juncture of two important 

 limbs, or where such a crotch shows sisms of weaken- 



ing a bolt should be passed through both branches a 

 few feet above the juncture, the ends being fitted with 

 large washers and sunk beneath the cambium layer, 

 using paint freely where the rod enters the wood. 



Tree surgery may be safely undertaken during any 

 season, but the amputation of live limbs from most 

 species of trees should be discontinued during a short 

 period in spring while sap is beginning to flow. 



The weak and sickly condition of trees may often- 

 times be traced to a lack of nourishment or to a poisoned 

 food supply caused by a nearby gas leakage. When ef- 

 fected by gas the trees invariably show the effect first at 

 the top where the plant first attempts to elaborate the 

 polluted supply of crude sap. The presence of borers 

 and the dark color and strong odor of the bark are 

 other signs which tend to point out this prevalent ail- 

 ment, and for which if of long stanefmg there is slight 

 chance of cure. In early stages of this kind the same 

 treatment may be followed as for a tree which is lack- 

 ing of proper and sufficient nourishment. Excavate a 

 trench four feet wide and three feet deep around the 

 tree at a distance of six feet from the trunk and fill 

 with rich fresh loam, spade around the tree and manure 

 moderately. Prune back strongly and spray for insects 

 which have taken advantage of the tree's weakened 

 condition. 



Lincoln Park, Chicago. 



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The Rose, The State Flower of 

 the Schools of New York 



It may not be generally known that as far back as 

 1890, the rose was adopted as the State flower of the 

 State of New York, by the votes of the school children 

 of the State. 



In 1890 the present Commissioner of Education, Mr. 

 Andrew S. Draper, was State Superintendent and at 

 Arbor Day in that year, a vote was taken in the schools 

 as to the choice for the State flower. 



There were no suggestions made as to what flowers 

 should be taken up and of the different varieties of 

 flowers, one hundred and thirty received some votes. 

 There were 318,079 votes cast. The golden-rod received 

 the largest number of votes cast, 81,308 while the rose 

 received 79,666 votes. The result gave no flower the 

 majority of the votes. 



The vote between the golden-rod and the rose was so 

 evenly divided, that the State Superintendent suggested 

 that a vote be taken on these two flowers on Arbor Day 

 in 1891. The result of this vote was 294,816 for the 

 rose and 206,402 for the golden-rod. The Bose, the 

 queen of flowers, is therefore considered the State 

 flower of New York. 



Before this, in 1899, a vote was taken among the 

 school children of the State for the State tree and the 

 Sugar Maple receiving the largest majority of the votes 

 east, is considered the State tree of New York. 



Since the establishment of Arbor Day in 1888 there 

 has been as many as 246,317 trees planted and an 

 unknown quantity of plants and shrubs. 



Arbor ])-,w originated in Nebraska as long ago as 

 1 s r -.' and is now observed, in some measure, by every 

 State in the Union. 



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