182 TREE WOUNDS AND DISEASES 



point of view, to all the trees in a plantation, 

 yet there are not a few instances on lawn 

 and in park in which a liberal top-dressing of 

 loam or vegetable matter will aid materially in 

 bringing to a healthy condition specimens 

 that are suffering from exhaustion of the soil, 

 or where the roots have penetrated into an 

 uncongenial substratum or subsoil which is 

 inimical to the further progress of the tree. 



The first symptom in the arrested growth 

 of a tree is an appearance of scanty foliage at 

 the extremities of the top branches. Next 

 season these branches present a still further 

 exhausted look and the tips die back, this 

 going on from year to year until the tree 

 presents a bare, dead appearance, and finally 

 succumbs to its unfavourable surroundings. 

 The only remedy in such cases is stimulating 

 the action of the vegetative powers of the tree, 

 which can best be done by a liberal applica- 

 tion of suitable soil and severe pruning back 

 of the dead and dying branches. 



Before the application of a top-dressing, the 

 surface soil beneath the tree should be lightly 

 forked over, care being taken not to damage 



