424 Journal of Agriculture. [11 July, 1910. 



Tree Guards. 



Under present conditions, tree guards are a necessity, and will remain 

 so while boys continue to be mischievous, and cattle are permitted to 

 wander in our streets. They are, however, rather a disadvantage to the 

 well-being of the tree itself, which probably would do much better if held 

 by a cord, as described herein, to three posts standing at a couple of feet 

 each way from the tree. Guards create draughts, and these are as hurt- 

 ful to trees as to human beings. But since guards are, as stated, under 

 existing conditions, a necessity, we have given the matter consideration 

 with a view to recommending one that is cheap, durable, strong, and 

 effective. 



We are of opinion that the guard illustrated on page 423 more nearly 

 meets these requirements than any other, but it is not without its draw- 

 backs. To a certain extent it is clumsy, unlovely, and obstructs the light 

 from street lamps. The appearance can, of course, be improved by 

 dressing the timber and painting it, but, after all, the purpose of a guard 

 is to protect the tree during its youth. The tree itself is the ornament. 



Guards made of rod iron overcome, to a great extent, both of the fore- 

 going objections, but they have the .serious defects of being costly, easily 

 injured by ill-behaved persons, and badly barking the trees should the 

 lashings break. Lashings, with all classes of guards, should be periodi- 

 cally inspected. Too often they are only attended to when serious mis- 

 chief has been done. For those, and they are many, who have a strong 

 (jbjection to the wooden guard, one made of expanded metal might be tried, 

 similar to those recently erected in Queen-street, Melbourne. They are 

 light, and seem suitable for elms, planes, &c. 



With some trees, it is well to erect the guard first, leaving the pickets 

 off one side until the tree is planted, and it is well in all cases to keep 

 the bottom rails and pickets a few inches above the ground level in order 

 to allow of the soil being cultivated around the tree without removing any 

 portion of the guard. 



^^'hen the great importance of growing street trees is more generally 

 recognised, when citizens are educated to care for, protect, and take a 

 pride in them, and cattle are restrained from wandering, guards will no 

 longer be necessary. 



Pruning. 



Street trees, if properly selected, require very little pruning after being 

 planted, other than the removal of branches that may be growing too low 

 down on the stem, or the shortening back of any that may have a tendency 

 to make the head of the tree uneven or badly balanced. This operation 

 should be accomplished with a sharp pruning knife when the trees are 

 young. Any work with the axe or saw in after years is thus rendered 

 unnecessary, and, at all events, it should be carefully avoided, as the ruth- 

 less cutting away of large limbs and branches has not a tendency to pro- 

 mote health and longevity. 



Watering. 

 When gutters are formed in the natural soil, or pitched with blue- 

 stone, or granite cubes, enough water generally soaks through to keep 

 the roots of street trees fairly moist. When the channels are of asphalt 

 or cement, through which no water can penetrate, provision should be 

 made to allow water to percolate through the gutter opposite each tree. 

 A gcod method of watering is to put down, to the level of the ground 



