280 PRUNING. 



an ordinary painter's brush, and may be used cold, 

 except in very cold weather, when it should be slightly 

 warmed before application. Coal-tar has remarkable 

 preservative properties, and may be used with equal 

 advantage on living and dead wood. A single appli- 

 cation, without penetrating deeper than ordinary paint, 

 forms an impervious coating to the wood-cells, which 

 would, without such covering, under external influ- 

 ences, soon become channels of decay. This simple 

 application, then, produces a sort of instantaneous 

 cauterisation, and preserves from decay wounds caused 

 either in pruning or by accident. The odour of coal- 

 tar drives away insects, or prevents them, by complete 

 adherence to the wood, from injuring it. After long 

 and expensive experiments, the director of the parks 

 of the city of Paris finally, in 1863, adopted coal-tar 

 in preference to other preparations used for covering 

 tree wounds, — as may be seen in all the principal 

 streets of the capital." 



It is very remarkable that coal-tar is thus so 

 highly appreciated and recommended for the preser- 

 vation of wood, and preventing decay in wounds, 

 when in reality it possesses no such preservative pro- 

 perty. I have made repeated experiments with coal- 

 tar, and all other wood preservatives, or at least most 

 other, and have no hesitation in denouncing it as the 

 very worst of all of them ; indeed it is very question- 

 able if it does not rather produce than prevent decay in 

 wood. 1 am strongly of opinion it does ; and if that 

 impression is well - founded, woe betide the trees 

 which are pruned, or rather mutilated, on the faith 

 that coal-tar will heal the wounds, or at least preserve 

 the old wood till the new covers it ! 



" Objections to other Preparations. — Efforts have 



