down that line. The owner of the property fell sick. During his absence the telephone 

 company came along, keeping to the left. When they came to the bend in the road they 

 crossed over and planted their poles by the young trees, and cut perpendicular, taking 

 off one-half of the trees. Photo 38 will give you some idea of their slaughter, though the 

 picture is not very plain. Photo 40 shows you how they slaughtered one of the most 

 symmetrical maples that could be found anywhere. Photo 39 reveals their fiendish 

 work on two grand oaks. Whether such fellows should be put into the " pen," hanged, 

 shot or drowned, or all of it, is difficult to say, but farmers are a consummate lot of fools 



to allow such destruction of trees and consequent de- 

 preciation of property. Telephone and telegraph com- 

 panies are in business for the money that is in it, and 

 let them buy the right of way through the open field, 

 which is the proper place to go. 



FORKED OR CROTCHED TREES 



are the most difficult class of trees to prune, and 

 "doctored" they must be or the winds, snow and sleet 

 will destroy them. Photo 41 had a very graceful top 

 and was highly prized by the owner. He saw the 

 danger and placed the chain around it. The tree grew 

 and the chain cut into the bark. With the pressure 

 from the growth and the friction from the swaying of 

 the tree by the wind, it became completely 

 girdled; death was the result. Photo 42 is an- 

 other example. This tree could have been 

 saved if a bolt had been put through at the 

 point indicated by the line. Both this and the 

 foregoing tree are maples. There is one vari- 

 ety of hard maple that has a strong tendency 

 to be crotched. The largest tree in photo 

 40 is one of that variety. Contrast this one 

 with the strong-armed rock maple in photo 36. 

 Soft maples, also, are very apt to be forked. 

 Elms, too, have a great tendency to this weak 



Photo 25. 



Photo 26. 



Photo 27. 



18 



