REPAIR OF SHADE TREES 



157 



tion of a tree. Felling the tree with an ax would be 

 cheaper and no less certain. 



The menace of the incompetent tree surgeon has been 

 recognized by Connecticut and other states in the passage 

 of laws designed to 

 protect the public 

 against his destruc- 

 tive methods. One 

 such law requires 

 that no person may 

 practice tree surgery 

 or repair without a 

 license, and that this 

 license shall not be 

 granted until the 

 applicant has proved 

 himself qualified for 

 the work. If trees 

 are worth having, 



Proper and improper tree surgery. 



they are worth pro- 

 tecting from the rav- 

 ages of the quack, and 

 experience shows 

 that this requires 

 strict legal regula- 

 tion, with severe 

 penalties for the vio- 

 lator. This sort of legislation seems as necessary for safe- 

 guarding the welfare of trees as for the protection of 

 human life and limb. 



The simplest surgical operation is the removal of dead 

 or dying branches or decaying stubs, followed by anti- 

 septic treatment and the application of a water-proof 

 covering as protection against moisture and decay. 



