82 



VIII.— THE CARE OF OLD TREES. 



W. J. BEAN. 



(With Plates.) 



The number of inquiries received at Ke^v as to the best treat- 

 ment for trees decayed in the trunk, or showing evidences^ of 

 decline by their poor growth or thin foliage, points to a -wide 

 interest in the subject. As a matter of fact there are ievr gardens 

 or parks of any considerable extent which do not contain trees 

 whose size or rarity, or perhaps associations, give them a peculiar 

 \alue in their owner's eyes. The longevity of a tree, e^-en if it be 

 of the commonest species, endows it with an individuality of its 

 own and makes it capable of inspiring sentiments and creating 

 memories to which few shrubs and no .herbaceous plant can ever 

 lay claim. It is not, theref<ne, surprising that there is a wide- 

 spread desire to know how the decreasing vigour of such trees may 

 bo revived. There is not the least doul 



t the term 



many trees is shortened by neglect due to ignorance. 

 ^ The three most powerful agencies that bring about the destruc- 

 tion or decline of trees are wind, failing food supply, and fungoid 

 parasites. 



Wind.— As regards storms, the matter, so far as existing large 

 trees are concerned, is to a considerable extent out of one's hands. 

 Trees that suffer most are those whose main trunk fwks low down, 

 separating there into two or more great limbs and dividing the 

 head of the_ tree into several distinct sections. With trees in 

 exposed positions there comes a wind-storm sooner or later that 

 st-arts a crack in the fork. Moisture, parasitic fungi and decay 

 follow in turn, and eventually one section of the head of the tree 

 comes to the ground. The p\^evention of the forking of trees is, 

 of course, a matter that should l)e attended to in the carlv stages 

 ot their growtli. Neglected then, it is difficult, or perhaps im- 

 possible to remedy afterwards. It is, in fact, tlie most important 



item in the management of large-growing trees in their young 

 state, and consists in keeping the tree to a single leader as long as 

 it is reasonably accessible, by suppressing all rivals, therebv 

 laying the foundation of a tall, straight trunk or main axis 

 capable of supporting the whole head of branches. I.arge trees 

 tliat are m danger through having been neglected in this respect 

 may be assisted in two ways. They may (1) have the strain on 

 he limbs lessened by reducing the top-growth; and (2) the main 



Wed'to^ether ^^ ^''"^ *^'^''^' °*^^'" '''"^'''*-^ support by being 



T«rro!'^'^ •'* V'"''^.^!''^'"''*^''''' ^' ^^"^o«* entirelv a matter of iudg- 

 Tver be renT T *^/P"*■ ^'""^''^^ ^''^'J ^^'^^^'^ mav/how- 



aW? lelll pre tynearly every tree is capable of being considcr- 

 c aracS 1 1 T ""^ jI ^'' ^'^«* ^-stroying its shapeliness or 

 a d co^sui oV 7" • ^^ '' '^' ^'^"'^^^°^^ ^^eSing taste and care, 

 limb r nek Vn1f ''T'"''?^ ^'^r^-^^^^^ either clean back to the 

 arir b^^^^^^^^^ \ ''t n^''' [^^T ^""^ ^^««^^r and perhaps 



