TREE DISEASES AND TREATMENT 175 



Slime-flux is an ailment frequently found on the Elm, 

 Maple, Yellow Birch and some other trees. This is in the 

 nature of an ulcer and is usually associated with a wound. 

 It is sometimes found in connection with a defective 

 cement-filled cavity. The ailment usually appears in the 

 spring and is characterized by a flow of slimy, discolored 

 sap from the opening. This slime forms a fermenting sub- 

 stance which may be poisonous to vegetation, as shown by 

 the killing of grass upon which it drops. It has destruc- 

 tive effect on the bark and on the wood immediately 

 beneath, and if it is allowed to progress, serious damage 

 and even the death of the tree may be caused. The best 

 method of treatment for slime-flux is to make upright 

 incisions in the bark, close to the wound, for the purpose 

 of draining the liquid as quickly as possible and perhaps 

 introducing an antiseptic wash. After the flow has 

 stopped, the diseased parts should be cut away and the 

 surface sterilized and painted as with other cavities. 



Various trees are subject to trouble in the form of 

 root-rot and other diseases of the root system. Root-rot 

 is the result of a fungus, which usually enters through an 

 underground wound. This fungus drains the vitality of 

 the roots and eventually kills the tree or so weakens its 

 base as to cause it to fall an easy victim to windstorms. 

 Well-known symptoms of this disease are the hard, black, 

 branching strands known as "shoestrings," which are found 

 interlaced in the roots, and particularly between bark and 

 wood, and penetrating the surrounding soil. These 

 "shoestrings" ultimately form the fruiting body on the 

 surface of the ground, which takes the form of a mush- 

 room appearing to grow from the soil. The mushrooms 

 are easily recognized when fresh and complete, appearing 

 in groups or clusters the color of honey. On each of them a 

 distinct ring appears on the stem, just below the umbrella- 



