STREET TREES. 41 



An old tree if moderately sound will stand, and be thankful 

 for, any reasonable treatment of its crown. In a case of this 

 kind observe the following: 



1. .Remove all dead wood. 



2. If all the large branches must be cut back make at least 

 two operations, a year or more apart. 



3. Make the cuts so that the stubs of the "headed in" 

 branches will roughly conform to the desired shape of the 

 crown to be. 



4. Be sure that a small a sap lifter" is left on each short- 

 ened branch near the place where the cut is made. 



5. Treat all decay as directed under "Treatment of 

 Cavities," page -1-5. 



How TO PRUNE. 



In removing a branch it is important to make the cut close 

 to the trunk, or remaining branch, and to take such precau- 

 tions as will insure a clean wound without injuring the sur- 

 rounding bark. An ordinary hand saw or a pruning saw is 

 generally used. Unless the branch is quite small saw under- 

 neath first and finish from above. This is to prevent the 

 splitting down of the branch, or breaking the surrounding 

 bark. In removing any sizable limb, make first a half cut 

 from the under side and about a foot from the trunk; then 

 sever the limb entirely by a cut a few inches further out. 

 (Fig. 20 B.) The object of the undercut is to prevent the in- 

 evitable split from running back to the base of Avoid 

 the branch. Finally remove the stub close to 8 P 1Ittin s- 

 the trunk. If a limb is very large and heavy, and there are 

 other branches beneath, support it from above by means of 

 ropes in order that it may not fall and do damage. Be sure 

 to make the final cut as close to the tree trunk 

 as possible, since a large wound there will close 

 in a more satisfactory manner than a smaller one at the end 

 of a short stub. And be especially careful that as the severed 

 limb finally falls the bark next its underside is not torn from 

 the tree. 



