OTHER TROUBLES 121 



again to zero, the bark is again frozen tight as a drum. 

 The next clay the same thing happens, and so day after 

 day the young bark freezes and thaws, and by this 

 means is torn to shreds. When spring arrives the bark 

 is killed and broken open. Then various kinds of fungi 

 get in and the damage which begins by freezing 

 and thawing ends with spread of canker and other 

 troubles all round the trunk of the tree. 



The best preventives of sun scald are low heads and 

 veneer protectors. High-headed trees, which are of 

 doubtful value anywhere, are altogether inadmissible in 

 places where sun scald is bad. The protectors of 

 newspaper or wood veneer recommended below 

 for mice and rabbits will also give practical im- 

 munity from sun scald. This trouble is a very 

 serious one. It is not uncommon to find entire 

 young orchards ruined by it. In sections where 

 this trouble is prevalent great pains should be 

 taken to protect 3'oung orchards from it. 



Mice and Rabbits, in some sections, do great dam- 

 age, particularly to young trees during the winter. 

 Rabbits can usually be thinned out by shooting and 

 trapping, but the mice must be circumvented by other 

 means. In small and newly planted orchards the dam- 

 age by mice may be generally prevented by tramping 

 down the snow around the trees after each snowfall. 

 The mice work under the snow, and this tramping 

 spoils their field of operations. 



As a general rule, however, the cheapest and safest 

 protection is secured by wrapping the trunks of 

 young trees with some defensive material, such as 

 paper, wood veneer, or corn stalks. Cornstalks will 

 sometimes serve wdiere they are to be had abun- 

 dantly and in good condition from the feed 



