THE EARTH'S BOUNTY 



woods over or near the original holes, which 

 seemed quite satisfactory to our feathered 

 friends when they arrived in the spring. 



Treating the hollow places consisted in 

 scooping out all the loose material collected in- 

 side, with a long-handled spoon, when possible ; 

 but in some cases the decay had travelled so 

 far, that an opening had to be cut in the tree 

 far below the hole. In either case, when all 

 loose tissue had been scraped away, a small 

 wad of cotton batting was soaked in kerosene, 

 lighted, and dropped in the cavity, to burn out 

 insects and germs. If the cavity was so large 

 as to suggest the probability of the tree's not 

 being able to stand against wind, or the weight 

 of summer foliage, it was filled in with cement. 

 If, on the other hand, the cavity was small 

 after being cleaned out, a piece of wood was 

 inserted like a bung, to close the opening, 

 which was then painted with tar. 



When the telltale sawdust pointed out a 

 borer's presence, a strong wire was inserted, 

 and, if possible, the nasty little grub fished 



135 



