BRACING 205 



paint it and both coffers with tar. Drive the bolt 

 through, apply the washer and nut, and tighten 

 up. If much of the bolt extends beyond the nut 

 it can be cut off with a cold-chisel or hack-saw. 

 Now paint all exposed iron, and the work is done. 

 Some very particular people fill up the coffers, to 

 the level of the cambium, with putty, plaster, or 

 cement, but unless they are very large they will 

 soon be covered by a natural callus. 



As a rule a single bolt should not extend through 

 two branches, even though they be close together, 

 because, if there is much sidewise movement, or 

 twist, one of the branches will be split. However, 

 when the two trunks of a bifurcated tree run up 

 nearly parallel, the best way to brace them is usu- 

 ally to put a single heavy bolt through them, not 

 very far above the crotch. 



We will now turn to the bracing of the limbs 

 of small trees. Apple and peach trees are espe- 

 cially liable, if not properly pruned, to develop 

 long branches which are not strong enough to sup- 

 port large crops of fruit. Such limbs are usually 

 propped, but bracing with wire is much more satis- 

 factory. For such work fence-wire, or even bal- 

 ing-wire, doubled, will do very well, but wire which 

 is not galvanized must be painted. Large screw- 

 eyes can be used in the limbs or even more econom- 

 ical devices can be used. One of these is as fol- 

 lows: Bore a hole through the limb about twice 



