246 PRACTICAL TREE REPAIR 



1. Attend to the soil, giving it such cultivation, 

 fertilization, drainage, or mulching, as it may re- 

 quire. 



2. Spray at such seasons and with such mate- 

 rials as may be indicated by the fungi and insects 

 attacking the tree. 



3. Prune. Normally a severe heading-back 

 will be beneficial, but the operation must be modi- 

 fied to fit the case in hand. 



4. Brace weak limbs. 



5. Treat wounds. 



6. Fill cavities. 



BEECH 



The beech is subject to the attacks of many 

 fungi. It is one of the favorite hosts of the white 

 heart rot, the worst enemy of deciduous trees. 

 ' Wherever any considerable amount of beech 

 timber is found," say von Schrenk and Spaulding, 

 " white heart rot is prevalent. In some sections 

 as many as ninety to ninety-five per cent, of the 

 beech trees of merchantable size have been found 

 affected with this disease." 



The beech tree is rather tenacious of life, how- 

 ever, and the decay may fill its trunk for several 

 decades before the tree succumbs. 



No special directions are necessary for hand- 

 ling the excavation. The bark around the edges 

 of the cut is a little more liable to dry out than in 



