readily discovered that but comparatively few people could be reached, and such read- 

 ing is not easily preserved. Finally, I determined to put the camera to work. Two 

 "authorities" might disagree on a certain point, and the public say, "They can't both 

 be right; maybe both are wrong." When, however, the camera gives you a picture, 

 that is something from which you cannot get away. I had first intended to use fifty 

 photographs, then made it one hundred. Again, finding there was a call for knowledge 

 on the landscape and floral arts, I have used 175 photographs, and could use more to 

 advantage, but cannot for the money. I desire to keep the book at $1.00, so that it will 

 be within the reach of all. 



This is an age in which we do things by lightning. People want facts, but they must 

 have them in a condensed form. I cover, in THE TREE DOCTOR, practically, all that 

 has ever been written on tree culture. We herein present to the public the best photo- 

 engravings, the best paper, with a strong cover, put up by the best of workmen and, 

 above all, knowledge that it has taken the author more than thirty-five years to acquire. 

 You pay a dollar for a tree, shrub or plant, then lose it. You try again and lose it, 

 because you know not how to proceed. I have known people to order over twenty dol- 

 lars' worth at once, and have it nearly all die. THE TREE DOCTOR will prevent all this 

 waste of money and inspire its readers with the ambition to add new beauties around 

 their homes. All scientific terms are avoided. The language used is chosen so that it 

 will convey a knowledge of the facts to the ablest scholars of the land, or to the mer- 

 chant, farmer, mechanic, laborer, man or woman, boy or girl. 



The time has come when tree planting and tree culture must be studied in con- 

 nection with the physiology of plant life. If this is not done, a calamity will befall the 

 inhabitants of these fruitful regions to an extent that no human mind can conceive. 



There are no people on this earth who are blessed with such a scope of territory, 

 range of climate, variety of soil and general adaptation to fruit-growing as those of North 

 America. But we are confronted with the appalling fact that, unless something is done 

 to arrest the diseases and check the ravages of the untold billions of insect pests which 

 prey upon our apple trees, inside of ten years it will be next thing to impossible to grow 

 even defective apples! For the last twenty years there has been a gradual decrease 

 in the quality of this most desirable and staple fruit. Similar difficulties are being en- 

 countered in the attempts to grow the peach, pear, plum, and other fruits; and shade 

 trees are going to pieces. The whole country is getting alarmed over the disasters that 

 await us from the destruction of our fruit crops, and many of our ablest writers have 

 done nobly in their efforts to stay this on-coming tide of evil. Though much good has 

 been done, for some reason no one has "laid the ax at the root" of the trouble. Some- 

 thing has been said about every evil from which the tree suffers except tzvo, and to 

 these two all the other evils are traceable. 



The author of THE TREE DOCTOR has had the care of trees and plants for more than 

 thirty-five years and is an ardent lover of nature. The ghastly wounds of his friends, 

 the trees, and their various suffering (if you will allow the expression) cry aloud and 

 pierce his inmost soul and bid him arise and plead their cause The author is not so 

 conceited to suppose he "knows it all." Whatever knowledge he possesses he has 

 learned from others, or gained it from observation. If nature has endowed him with the 

 faculty of observing and the ability to trace effects back to their causes, and thus enable 

 him to find the tzvo real causes of the present sickness and premature death of trees, 

 then, as a member of society, he owes that knowledge to the world at large, and par- 

 ticularly to the United States of America, his adopted and beloved "home" to which, 

 with pleasure, he reverently dedicates this work. 



THE AUTHOR. 



