THE TRADE OF TREE REPAIR 237 



summer I am going to have the tree surgeons 

 here, and then I won't have to worry about them 

 any more." Trees are living things and they 

 cannot be starved and wounded for years with 

 the expectation that, with a wave of his fairy 

 wand, the tree doctor will be able to restore them 

 to strength and beauty. Trees are mostly tough 

 and long-enduring, even under artificial condi- 

 tions, but they cannot absolutely shift for them- 

 selves. The owner of a number of fine trees 

 ought, if only as insurance, to have them in- 

 spected every year. One year not a tree in the 

 grove will need to have any work done upon it; 

 the next, a few hours spent in bolting up a limb 

 over-strained in an ice-storm may save a beautiful 

 tree from irreparable damage. An expert will 

 detect signs of soil depletion or of the presence 

 of insects which completely escape the eye of a 

 layman. 



Granted that this is the logical way to care for 

 trees, how is the program to be carried out? The 

 vital difficulty lies, of course, in finding men to do 

 the work. The demand for men will be met, 

 however, when it becomes intelligent and wide- 

 spread. Owners should realize that it is to their 

 own advantage to develop local arboricultural 

 workmen, just as it is an advantage and economy 

 to have plumbers and steam-fitters within a 

 reasonable distance. 



