86 



renewed as ofteu as may he necessary until tliat is accomplislied. 

 Tills applies to all woiuicls on trees, hoAvever caiisecL 



There still remains to be considered the treatment of cavities 

 that hare been alloAved to form. As a inatter of fact, in very few 

 of tlie cases we are asked to ad\ise upon Is it prevention of decay 

 that Is in question. Almost invariablj' it is bow to deal with 

 trouble already in exb-tence and due to neglect. 



No treatment will cA^er enable a tree to fill up a cavity with 

 sound wood. All that can be done is to arrest the miscliief and 

 prevent, if possible, further decaj^ 



The first thing is to clean out thoroiighh* all the decayed wood 

 (oft<Mi reduced to a sodden, mass) from the cavities. If possiWe it 

 should be cleaned out right back to the hard wood; if tlie wood be 

 sound it does not matter if it he dead. Verv fr(>quently, in long 

 neglected wourids, a deo}), narrow, well-like cavity has formed l)y 

 decay, which it is impossible to get thoroughly clean and dry by 

 working from ihe top. In this case, the best i)lan is to find by 

 poking with a piece of stout wire how deep down tlie trunk the 

 cavitv extends. Tlien ai; auger-hole should be bored from tlie 

 outside m a slanting direction upwards so as to reach tlie bottom 

 of the hole thus located. This will enable all the moisture, etc., 

 to drain out. ^When the walls of the cavity are reasonably dry 

 (It may take a few days for them to become so, but there is no need 



r?, . ^"^V .y ?^'*^^^^f^ '^^ washed with a scdution of carbolic acid, 

 llus solution IS made by adding one part of "commercial" 

 carbolic acid (liquid) to twenty parts of methylated spirits. This 

 IS intended to penetrate into the walls of the cavity and kill any 

 lungoid growth that may remain. It soon dries and the wood must 

 T.2 I '"S'l "^ over with a generous layer of coal tar. It now le- 

 mains to Ml ii|. the hole and make it water-tight. On the whole we 



Itho.I"' Tu ""'1 ''^'^^* ^^'^ "^^^t convenient "stopping," 

 cem^nt^^ """^tf ^''' ^'" recommended. Where the hole is lai ge, 

 ■illv t!!5 T'^' '''l'^ "''^' ^^^^^« ^'^^^^i^e lo.ddno- to ocoasion- 

 • owed o fin"'' .1 '" ''^•"^'^^"" ^^°Ppi"f? i-^ ^^«-^, sliould not be 

 wh di w 11 ';f '^'f '"''^?^' ''' f ^' ^1°- i'^ +1^« 'Oil of new bark 



t^:^ to d i ^;i:t^^\^ -presents tl. attempt of 



new birb l,n« lori 1 i? - ^^ "^^ ^^^ succeeded because the 



prot^ctTd frori.. '' *N' '"T '^^^'^"^^ «f ^^'^ ^^^"d had it been 

 K hole theiet ;' ' ^^ f '^H "', '' "'°^^' P^^^'i^^^ ^J ^^^ ^<^^^^' 



-nhled to lay its new bi^^ ^d t o^ "S^!! .. ^^ ^^^ ^ ^]'^!!^ 



subtle and deadly of -ill a1 "^ i .1. '"\"' ^^ ''^'•^s arc ibo most 

 tefore it is discoVered. 'For un'ilnf *^,^d''"^«ge is beyond remedy 



1^ 01 tunately it is rare in comparison with 



