No. 4.] 



TKEE SURGERY. 



449 



heal the wound at once, because of the projecting stub, 

 which died back and was attacked by rot at the heart, w^hich 

 has already extended down the limb to a distance of four 

 to six inches. The stubs, at the end of two years, though 

 decayed, still remain to prevent the healing of the w^ounds, 

 which now appear as in Fig. 12. Here the figure at the 

 left shows the external condition of the stub, while that at 

 the riorht shows a sectional view. Had these stubs been 

 removed early, and the wounds 

 carefully treated with a wood pre- 

 servative, this decay might have 

 been prevented. If such stubs are 

 left, who knows how much the decay 

 of several such branches may injure 

 the young tree, or how great and 

 permanent that injury may finally 

 become? It is quite generally be- 

 lieved that decay of trunk and 

 branches induces fruit rot. If there 



is any foundation for this belief, we cannot guard the J^oung 

 trees too carefully from such injury. No doubt the nursery- 

 man would give as a reason for leaving a stub in pruning, 

 that, if the shoot had been cut off close to the bud, it would 

 have died back, so that the bud would not have started the 

 following spring. It is customary wdth some gardeners to 

 leave a stub in this manner, removing it in summer after 

 the shoots have started. This plan is no doubt a good one. 



Fig. 12. — The beginning of decay 

 in the young hmb. 



How TO AMPUTATE A LiMB. 



Where large limbs have been broken from fruit or shade 

 trees, prompt action is necessary in removing the stubs and 

 treating the wounds, to prevent decay from penetrating the 

 trunk. If, by reason of neglect or bad pruning, deea3dng 

 limbs have been left on the trees, similar treatment is re- 

 quired. Owners of trees may need to have such work done, 

 and for their benefit the best methods of repairing these tw^o 

 classes of wounds will be considered here. 



Our experience with many thousand trees bears out the 

 practice advocated by DesCars, and stated by Dr. Sargent 



