894 
times it is necessary to put the cement in 
in sections, leaving natural joints which 
will permit the swaying without damage 
to the cement fillings. If the operator 
does not understand the swaying of the 
tree and guard against it, or does not 
where necessary build his cement in sec- 
tions, all his carefully laid plans up to 
this point will go for naught. Unless he 
can keep his filling permanently in place, 
just as in dentistry, his work is a com- 
plete failure. 
The exclusion of foreign substances, 
especially water, is the ultra-important 
task of the tree surgeon, just as it is 
with the dentist. If the water seeps in 
behind the cement filling, it is only a 
question of time until the condition of 
the tree is worse than formerly. No ce- 
ment work is a success which does not ex- 
clude the moisture. The skilled tree sur- 
geon prepares a “water shed” at the edge 
of the cavity, beyond which the moisture 
cannot penetrate. To make assurance 
doubly sure he applies to this water shed 
all around the edge of the opening an 
adhesive waterproofing material. At 
times it is necessary to go farther than 
this and cover the entire opening with 
a metallic shield, non-corrosive, which 
is nailed very tight on the top and along 
the sides especially. Waterproofing ma- 
terial is then applied on the outside. 
All of this must be done with the ulti- 
mate purpose of allowing the bark to 
heal over the filling. Therefore the fill- 
ing must be under the edge of the bark 
at every point, and the contour of the 
tree must be restored, so that when the 
bark does heal over and seal the filling 
permanently, there will be no evidence 
of the old yawning cavity save the un- 
obtrusive scar. As surely as there is 
health and vigor in a tree the bark will 
begin to roll out and over the filling. 
Nature responds wonderfully to proper 
treatment. 
A tree is a living creature! This is the 
foundation fact of tree surgery. It min- 
isters to the human family in comfort, 
health, beauty and pleasure. It is past 
valuation. It makes possible the solemn 
stillness of the forest. It holds in check 
the waters that go to form the rivers 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
and insures their continuity. It robes 
the hills in green and hides their gaunt 
and lifeless forms. It gives grace and 
beauty and verdant loveliness to the val- 
leys. It shades the urban highways where 
masses of mankind pass to and fro. It 
shelters and makes beautiful the public 
parks, the breathing places of the people. 
Its contribution to the food of man is 
of untold measure. 
A tree is a fitting companion to man. 
It is quite proper that the highest develop- 
ment of the vegetable kingdom should 
contribute so largely to the well-being of 
man. Man should in turn give it rea- 
sonable care and protection so that its 
period of ministration may be a mavxi- 
mum. Because a tree is a living organism 
it is subject to decay and premature 
death. Tree surgery is the concrete ex- 
pression of man’s desire to protect the 
physical well-being of the trees and pre- 
serve them for his own pleasure and pro- 
fit, and for that of the generations to 
come. Real tree surgery saves trees. It 
is well. Thus we have another step in 
the advancement of man. 
M. L. Davey, 
Scientific American, March 18, 1911. 
For ParTicuLaAR DISEASES. 
the Various Fruits. 
Districts. See Fruits Recommended for 
Cultivation, under Apple, page 192. 
See under 
Drainage 
The greatest problem of an arid country 
is irrigation, and the next greatest is 
drainage, because in irrigation there must 
be seepage and waste that will injure and 
render more or less valueless the lower 
lands onto which this seepage and waste 
are drained. Very often it causes al- 
kali deposits; or it becomes boggy so 
that few crops can be grown upon it. 
Reasons for Drainage 
First—It prevents water which falls 
upon the ground from remaining at or 
near the surface and renders the soil dry 
enough to be worked or plowed very soon 
after a rain, whereas if it is not drained, 
the farmer must wait for the water to 
seep away or to evaporate, and thereby 
lose much valuable time. 
