THE HANDLING OF THE PLANTS 



143 



Tree guards. 



Along roadsides and other exposed places it is often necessary 

 to protect newly set trees from horses, boys, and vehicles. 



There are various kinds of tree guards for this 

 purpose. The best types are those that 

 are more or less open, so as to allow the 

 free passage of air and which are so far re- 

 moved from the body of the tree that its 

 trunk may expand without difficulty. If the 

 guards are very tight, they may shade the 

 trunk so much that the tree may suffer when 

 the guard is removed, 

 and they prevent the dis- 

 covery of insects and in- 

 juries. It is important 

 that the guard does not fill 

 with litter in which insects 

 may harbor. As soon as 

 the tree is old enough to 

 escape injury, the guards 

 should be removed. A 

 very good guard, made of iit' 

 laths held together with ^^^'^y 

 three strips of band-iron, 

 and secured to iron posts, 

 is shown in Fig. 156. Fig- 

 ure 157 shows a guard 

 made by winding fencing 

 wire upon three posts or 

 stakes. When there is 

 likely to be danger from 



156. Lath tree g^-^at shading of the Wire-and-post 



guard. trunk, this latter form of tree guard. 



