130 PRACTICAL TREE REPAIR 



running wire ropes to it from its sturdier neigh- 

 bors. These braces need not be conspicuous. 

 Their strength is not problematical : it can be cal- 

 culated to the pound. Plant a Virginia creeper 

 or Euonymus radicans at the base of the old tree 

 and spend the money you have saved in setting 

 out a young one. 



DRESSING THE CAVITY 



The braces in place and tightened up, the next 

 thing on the program is the antiseptic treatment 

 of the interior of the cavity. The materials suit- 

 able for this purpose have already been enumer- 

 ated. The choice of a material or a combination 

 of materials depends upon the completeness with 

 which it was possible to remove the decay, the con- 

 dition of the exposed wood, and the shape of the 

 cavity, and the material to be used in filling. If 

 a penetrating antiseptic is needed, carbolineum is 

 the most effective. If the wood exposed in exca- 

 vating is damp it is essential that it be allowed to 

 dry for a few days, the cambium, of course, being 

 protected. It does no harm for a cavity to stand 

 in this way half the summer. If time for natural 

 drying is not available, the cavity can be dried out 

 fairly well with a gasoline torch, though consider- 

 able discretion is needed in the use of that tool. 

 A cavity which is to be filled with concrete should 

 never receive, as its final dressing, any material 



