10. 
TREE SURGERY. 
In reality the removal of large branches might prop- 
erly come under this heading. The principal decay that 
we find in old orchards has originated through the leav- 
ing of long stubs. The pruning is usually turned over 
to the cheapest help on the place. Even the owners 
themeelves, when ignorant of the vital principles of the 
tree, cut off the branches at the place most convenient; 
often leaving stubs six or eight inohes long. One ex- 
perienced farmer explained his method of pruning by say- 
ing that the wood was going to die back anyway, and by cut- 
ting a long stub, it took that much longer for the decay 
to get back to the trunk. Sample illustrations of his 
methods and results are shown in figures 13 to 16. 
All cuts should be made rather close to the main 
branch, and in topping back a limb, as shown in figure 
13, the slanting cut, indicated by the line, heals much 
quicker and surer than the one shown. All the cuts, and 
in fact , all scars in the bark are a constant menace to 
the life of the tree if left exposed to the attacks of 
insects and fungi. The inseot burrows are well shown 
in the exposed side cuts of figures 13 and 14. 
A brief knowledge of the movements of the sap in 
the tree will show clearly the folloy in leaving long 
stubs. The golil water passes upward through the sap 
wood to the leaves, where it is used in the manufacture 
