SMEARS. 35 



ive in some cases, particularly if a mixture of glue and copperas is 

 added to the solution. The mixture is made as follows: Take a bushel 

 of unslaked lime and add sutiicient water, then add two pounds of 

 dissolved glue, and stir in thoroughly one pound of copperas. Another 

 mixture which is said to work well consists of one pound of commercial 

 aloes with four gallons of water. A tea made by steeping quassia 

 chips is also used.' A combination of i)otash and clay is occasionally 

 emploj^ed, and is mixed so as to have a consistency like that of thick 

 cream. A writer in the 'American Garden' recommends rubbing the 

 bark thoroughly with blood or grease, and asserts that rabbits will not 

 touch trees that have been treated in this way. He adds: "In the 

 case of trees which have been gnawed or peeled, the wound should be 

 covered with a cloth on which is spread a little grafting wax. This not 

 only excludes the air, but also helps the injured part to heal.'' The 

 New Zealand department of agriculture has recently recommended a 

 paint made of cow dung, clay, and soot and slightly flavored with tar 

 or spirits of tar for protecting the stems of trees from rabbits.- Too 

 much reliance should not be placed on smearing the trunks of trees, and 

 no mixture should beused which contains petroleum in any form. Blood 

 or grease will soon cease to be effective and it becomes necessary to 

 repaint the trees in a short time. 



' Wickscii, /. c, p. 553; 2(1 ed., p. 577. 



"Leaflets for Gardeuers, etc., No. 10, June, 1895, p. 8. 



