78 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



Wounds a half inch or more in diameter should be treated 

 those which are smaller heal so readily that it is unnecessary. Any 

 material that is adhesive will prevent checking, keep out moisture 

 and fungi, and will not injure the cambium, may be used. The 

 object of treating the wound is protection, thus insuring good healing. 

 The material used will not hasten the healing only as it prevents un- 

 favorable conditions. One of the best, cheapest, and most easily ap- 

 plied materials is white lead. It should be quite thick so as to give a 

 heavy coat when applied. Other materials frequently used are graft- 

 ing wax and pine tar. The former is expensive, and does not adhere 

 as well as lead ; the latter rather disagreeable as well as expensive. 

 (Wis. E. S. B. 207.) 



Treatment of Hollow Trunks. It sometimes happens that a val- 

 uable shade or orchard tree becomes injured in such a way as to 

 cause a cavity. This may have resulted from the breaking of a 

 branch in a storm or from improper pruning. Whatever the cause 

 the treatment is practically the same. All decayed or decaying mat- 

 ter should be removed from the cavity and with a sharp gouge or 

 chisel all diseased wood cut away until sound heartwood is exposed. 

 Then, before moisture or other injurious influences can act upon the 

 newly exposed parts, the whole cavity should be filled with a thin 

 mortar, made by mixing 1 part of Portland cement with 3 parts of 

 clean, sharp sand. After the mortar has had time to become stiff, 

 but not hard, a surface coat made of 1 part of sand and 1 part of 

 cement should be added and the surface so faced as to exclude all 

 moisture from the opening of the cavity. An additional safeguard 

 would be had in treating the inside of the cavity with a copper-sul- 

 phate solution (1 pound to 5 or 6 gallons of water) after the diseased 

 wood has been removed with a gouge or chisel and before the cement 

 mortar is poured into the cavity. 



Pruning Devices in Common Use. Since the operation of prun- 

 ing involves the making of wounds and ready healing depends upon 

 a smooth, uniformly cut surface, the selection of pruning tools is 

 important. It is obvious that a tool which operates in the manner of 

 a knife will leave such a surface as is desired; but it is not always 

 possible, in pruning large trees, to use a simple knife. Where a knife 

 will serve the purpose, as in the pruning of shrubs and small trees, 

 the hawkbill knife will be found most satisfactory. Where larger 

 branches are to be removed, the hand-pruning shears, which consist 

 of a strongly made shear which is opened by a spring, and the blade 

 made of well-tempered steel and provided on the opposite side with a 

 guard are the most convenient device. Where still larger branches, 

 which can be removed without a saw, are to be pruned, the lopping 

 shears can be most successfully and economically used. The one 

 objection to both these forms of shears is that the cutting is done by a 

 sort of crushing process, one side of the shear alone being provided 

 with a cutting edge, the other being merely a rest or guard. Another 

 type of shears has been designed but never put into general use which, 

 instead of cutting by a simple crushing movement, cuts by a drawing 



