157 
those limbs loaded with a heavy crop of fruit, and swayed by high 
winds, to split from the trunk. It is, therefore, advisable at the 
time of shaping the young tree to see that the branches do not all 
spring from the same level, but that an interval of a couple of 
inches or even more be left between them to insure their better 
attachment to the trunk. Limbs which threaten to split can also 
be strengthened by using the pruning saw and the knife, and so 
distribute the weight over the branches that the weak ones are 
relieved of too heavy a strain. 
In particularly dangerous cases it becomes necessary to bind 
the bifurcated branches together so as to prevent them splitting. 
The accompanying illustrations show both the right and the wrong 
way of doing this. Ropes are temporary ties at the most; besides, 
they stretch easily, and finally rot and snap. A piece of fencing 
wire, doubled round the limbs and twisted until the requisite strain 
is obtained, is often used in orchards, but this method presents the 
serious inconvenience of cutting through the bark and interfering 
with the circulation, the growing wood overlapping from above and 
presenting an unsightly 
swelling. | Whenever a 
contrivance of this sort 
is used, pieces of lath or 
some bagging or leather 
pad should be placed be- 
tween the limb and the 
wire to shield the bark. 
When the forked limbs 
are actually split, the 
torn and jagged wound 
should be smoothly pared 
with the knife and the 
two pieces brought to- 
gether. : 
Above the iron band in 
the illustration a more 
suitable contrivance is 
shown for mending split 
limbs. It consists of a 
straight iron bolt, run 
through auger holes 
bored in the limbs; the 
: bolt is supplied with a 
The TEM be” “(Garden and Tiga) ©" * large head and a large 
nut with a washer, and 
is screwed up to the proper point. The hole should not be much 
larger than the bol{, so as to exclude the wet or the air; for that 
purpose it is advisable to apply a little tar or wax where it enters 
