THE FUTURE OF OUB TBEE8 — PRUNING. 69 



methods: First, a number of low but dense trees and boshes, forming 

 in themselves fine-looking groups, are surrounded by dense and thorny 

 hedges, to prevent cats and other enemies of birds from entering the 

 inclosed space. Second, in the crotches of taller trees, and chiefly in 

 the first crotch, bundles of thorny branches are fastened in such a way 

 as to prevent cats from climbing above them. Such bundles would not 

 look well during the winter, but they could then be removed to be 

 placed by fresh ones in the early spring. A broad strip ot tin would, 

 perhaps, answer the same purpose, but would not, at first, be a& 

 tractive to the birds themselves. A strict law against the use of slii sjfi 

 stones, and other weapons in the hands of the boys must, of course, be 

 strictly enforced. In a very short time birds of various kinds will dis- 

 cover the safety of such places, and utilize them. Even if these birds 

 should not alone avail against the ravages of insects, they would do good 

 service, and their presence would pay for the little trouble of an invi- 

 tation to them. 



THE FUTURE OF OUR TREES— PRUNING. 



Before closing this article it may be well to call attention to another 

 danger from which our shade trees are threatened in the future. We refer 

 to the reckless and almost cruel pruning which has in the past been 

 indulged in, and which, if we are rightly informed by Mr. Saunders, the 

 Parking Commission find it very difficult to prevent. Xo one looking 

 to the future of our shade trees can have witnessed without indigna- 

 tion the gangs of careless men who periodically go through our sti 

 cutting, hacking, and lopping indiscriminately and without intelligence 

 the limbs of the trees until they have become on many of the older 

 streets deformed and unsightly objects. The result of senseless pruning 

 is easily seen on some of these older streets as compared with the trees in 

 our parks which have been more often left alone and more intelligently 

 pruned. Street shade trees should be pruned from below and not lopped 

 oft' from the top, so that in the future there will result a tall straight 

 trunk, not intercepting the view of the buildings from the street and 

 yet furnishing the desired shade and beauty. The trees of such cities 

 as Cambridge. New Haven, Saratoga, &c, may be cited by comparison 

 with what ours are fast becoming. But there is another side to this 

 question which justifies us in calling attention to it in this connection. 

 To use the language of our Seventh Report on the Insects o{' Missouri, 

 published in 1874, in treating of the Flat-headed Borer [Chrytobotkru 

 femorata), one of the most destructive borers of our trees: •• Many a 

 fine orchard tree, and many more city shade trees, receive their 

 death shock from the reckless sawing off ot* limbs without effort being 

 made to heal the wounds by coating with grafting wax, day. or other 

 protecting substances. Around such an unprotected sawed limb, as 

 around the frustrum of a felled tree, the rain and other atmospheric in- 



