THE FUTURE OF OUR TREES—PRUNING. 69 
methods: First, a number of low but dense trees and bushes, forming 
in themselves fine-looking groups, are surrounded by dense and thorny 
hedges, to prevent cats and other enemies of birds from entering the 
inclosed space. Second, in the crotches of taller trees, and chiefly in 
the first crotch, bundles of thorny branches are fastened in such a way 
as to prevent cats from climbing above them. Such bundles would not 
look well during the winter, but they could then be removed to be re- 
placed by fresh ones in the early spring. A broad strip of tin would, 
perhaps, answer the same purpose, but would not, at first, be as at- 
tractive to the birds themselves. A strict law against the use of slings, 
stones, and other weapons in the hands of the boys must, of course, be 
strictly enforced. In a very short time birds of various kinds will dis- 
cover the safety of such places, and utilize-them. Even if these birds 
should not alone avail against the ravages of insects, they would do good 
service, and their presence would pay for the little trouble of an invi- 
tation to them. 
THE FUTURE OF OUR TREES—PRUNING. 
Before closing this article it may be well to call attention to another 
danger from which our shade trees are threatened in the future. We refer 
to the reckless and almost cruel pruning which has in the past been 
indulged in, and which, if we are rightly informed by Mr. Saunders, the 
Parking Commission find it very difficult to prevent. No one looking 
to the future of our shade trees can have witnessed without indigna- 
tion the gangs of careless men who periodically go through our streets 
cutting, hacking, and lopping indiscriminately and without intelligence 
the limbs of the trees uutil they have become on many of the older 
streets deformed and unsightly objects. The result of senseless pruning 
is easily seen on some of these older streets as compared with the trees in 
our parks which have been more often left alone and more intelligently 
pruned. Street shade trees should be pruned from below and not lopped 
off from the top, so that in the future there will result a tall straight 
trunk, not intercepting the view of the buildings from the street and 
yet furnishing the desired shade and beauty. The trees of such cities 
as Cambridge, New Haven, Saratoga, &c., may be cited by comparison 
with what ours are fast becoming. But there is another side to this 
question which justifies us in calling attention to it in this connection. 
To use the language of our Seventh Report on the Insects of Missouri, 
published in 1874, in treating of the Flat-headed Borer (Chrysobothris 
Jemorata), one of the most destructive borers of our trees: ‘* Many a 
fine orchard tree, and many more city shade trees, receive their 
death shock from the reckless sawing off of limbs without effort being 
made to heal the wounds by coating with grafting wax, clay, or other 
protecting substances, Around such an unprotected sawed limb, as 
around the frustrum of a felled tree, the rain and other atmospheric in- 
