GREASE-BANDING. 97 
that the back of the long strip of ‘‘grease-proof” paper was of a deep 
brown from the tar, or tar and grease together, having soddened 
through from the front. The extent of the mischief in a case like this 
would be nothing to compare with that of tar banding on the bark 
itself, but might do much harm by penetrating into the outer coats of 
the bark. On quite old trees where the bark is very thick and dead 
on the outside it is not of so much importance to keep it free from all 
taint of grease, but still care is desirable; and on young trees the 
matter is of vital importance. 
Common cart-grease, harmless when arena on grease-proof paper, 
may be made of a mixture of tallow, palm oil, and soft-soap; or tallow, 
palm oil, and caustic soda; or of a more or less perfectly-formed soap, 
water, carbonate of soda, and neutral fat; or a soap of lime and rosin 
oil, with or without water; or, again, there is what is known as 
‘‘ Frazer’s axle-grease,”’ which consists of rosin oil of various numbers, 
saponified with a solution of sal-soda in water and softened lime. 
These two rosin recipes are very similar to a composition which has 
been found to answer well for use at the Toddington fruit grounds. 
Grease-proof paper may be bought at the grocers. 
Where young trees are tied to stakes, or trees of any age are 
protected from biting of animals by rough sticks being tied round the 
stem, care must of course be taken that these are not allowed to be 
highways for moth traffic. The guards might be perhaps taken away 
temporarily, and the stakes might certainly be tarred. 
Greased hay ropes laid on the ground so as to encircle the tree to 
be guarded sometimes answer very well. In the course of some 
observations with which I was favoured on November 20th, 1890, by 
Mr. Arkwright, of Hampton Court, Leominster, he gave me the 
following note :— 
‘“«T visited my orchards which have been treated with cart-grease 
three weeks ago, and found the hay bands in perfect order and 
catching every living creeper. The grease had not melted or hardened, 
and I am perfectly certain that no crawling creature could pass the 
band. 
‘«T twisted hay round a piece of cocoa-nut string such as they 
use for Hops, and tied it as tight as I could round the trees; after- 
wards painting the under angle of outside with the common grease 
bought in ting for cart wheels. Common cart-grease bought in 
14 lb. tins at Ballow & Co., Leominster. It comes to about 2d. a 
pound.” —(J. H. A.) 
The sample sent me appeared perfectly adapted to the work needed, 
for the grease was still so soft and tenacious that it did away with the 
objections sometimes raised to this kind of protection, namely, that 
the moths might harbour under the edge; it seemed perfectly unlikely 
H 
