30 DAVET^S PRIMER 



In trees, as well as among animals, Nature has a 

 power in healing that looks like intelligence. Some- 

 thing happens to your arm and it must be amputated. 

 The veins and arteries begin to flow, but the surgeon 

 binds them up and carefully shuts out all foreign mat- 

 ter. Slowly, but surely and effectually, Nature does 

 her part, and rebuilds and reunites all the venous and 

 arterial system, and you go on and live out the balance 

 of your days, though you are deprived of a hand, or 

 foot. It is the same with a tree ; you can take off any 

 branch, or number of branches, if the work is skillfully 

 done, and it will make perfect work of healing. If 

 the branch be large, cut it off a foot or so from the 

 trunk and let it drop to prevent "splitting down," 

 then make a clean cut back to the " shoulder," and the 

 healing will commence at once, as you see in this 

 photograph. Any kind of paint will do for dressing 

 the wound, but it is well to make it near the color of 

 the bark. Large wounds should be painted every sea- 

 son, for a few years ; but be very careful not to get the 

 paint on the new bark. If the tops of shade trees were 

 properly formed, they would not need and should not 

 have a lot of "pruning" on them; Nature does not 

 give these beautiful branches to be ruthlessly thrown 

 away. With fruit trees it is different ; we prune them 

 to produce "fruit spurs." 



This photograph shows how the cuts were made at 

 the proper place, and the wounds have been carefully 

 painted. See how finely they are healing! 



