214 PRACTICAL TREE REPAIR 



to hold the limbs apart. Another way is to bore 

 a hole straight through both limbs and run a bolt 

 through, inserting a short length of gaspipe over 

 the bolt between the limbs. This does very well 

 if there is not much side-swing to the branches. 

 In that case a different scheme must be used. A 

 good way is to fix a couple of buffers to the limbs. 

 They can be of iron if an occasional squeak is no 

 objection. If it is, one at least should be of 

 wood. 



Bracing even has the unusual quality of some- 

 times being able to bring the horse back to the 

 barn after he has been, stolen. After a storm, 

 especially an ice-storm, we often see a tree fairly 

 crushed to the ground, though hardly a branch 

 has been entirely broken away. The large limbs 

 have been split down at their crotches but are still 

 attached to the trunk by hinges of more or less 

 splintered wood and wrinkled bark. It is often 

 possible to pull such limbs back into place and 

 save them with but little damage. The work 

 should of course begin as soon as possible after 

 the accident. Each limb should be lifted, with the 

 help of block and tackle, and, possibly, a tripod of 

 beams, and firmly braced into place. For this pur- 

 pose, if much doubt is felt as to whether the limb 

 will survive the operation, it may be well to use a 

 temporary arrangement, tying the limb up (pro- 

 tected, of course, by slats of wood or bandages of 



