BRACING 203 



terial is very strong, inconspicuous, and extremely 

 economical, both of material and labor. 



The wire is normally used to connect laghooks 

 or eyebolts fixed in the branches to be braced. In 

 large jobs the strength of the wire must be made 

 approximately equal to the strength of the anchor- 

 ing material. It is wasteful, for instance, to use 

 wire rope with a strength of two thousand pounds 

 to connect eyebolts which have a strength of only 

 one thousand pounds. A lighter rope should be 

 used. 



The simplest form of brace is a straight bolt 

 through the trunk of a splitting tree. In the case 

 of young trees this treatment alone may cure a 

 dangerous crotch. I shall state with care the 

 method of inserting such a bolt and in subsequent 

 descriptions shall take for granted an understand- 

 ing of the proper way to insert a bolt in a tree. 



First decide on the size of bolt to be used, 

 a quarter-inch, say, for a four-inch sapling, or five- 

 eighths for a tree of ten inches or so. Then with 

 a bit of the same size, bore a hole through the 

 tree, choosing a place where the wood is thick 

 and strong, and where the hole will be nearly per- 

 pendicular to a fairly level and clean surface at 

 both ends. Now take a chisel and cut out a shal- 

 low coffer or depression into the wood at one end 

 of the hole. This coffer is to receive the square 

 head of the bolt, for machine-bolts and not wagon- 



