DRESSINGS FOR WOUNDS 109 



The conclusion, and my general opinion, 

 in respect to season of pruning, so far as the 

 healing of wounds is concerned, is this : The 

 ideal time is in spring, before growth begins 

 (late February, March and early April in New 

 York), but more depends on the position of 

 the wound in the tree and the length of stub 

 than on the time of year. 



DRESSINGS FOR WOUNDS. Having now obtained 

 a general conception of the nature of the healing 

 process, we are prepared to understand that a 

 dressing for a wood wound must possess two 

 properties, it must check the weathering of the 

 wound, and it must prevent the growth of bac- 

 teria and fungi; and it must also be of such a 

 nature as not to injure the cambium and bark. 

 In other words, the ideal dressing is a protective 

 compound and an antiseptic. It does not hasten 

 the healing process, except as it prevents decay. 

 It is preservative and preventive. 



It follows from the above considerations that 

 the first thing to be sought in a wound dressing 

 is durability. Paint and tar answer this require- 

 ment. It should also have intimate contact with 

 the wood. Wax and shellac do not satisfy this 

 requirement, for they tend to peel off and to 

 crack. Lead paint and tar are antiseptics, whereas 

 wax, shellac, tallow and the like, are not. Bor- 

 deaux mixture is also an almost perfect anti- 



