An Advance in Tree Surgery. 
Contrary to general popular opinion, 
tree surgery is not a modern art but is 
several centuries old. Dating back to 
the early histories of mankind prob- 
ably some effort was made to save de- 
caying trees. One of the most inter- 
esting is that of a certain Forsythe, his 
majesty’s gardener at Kensington and 
Two and a half centuries ago tree- surgery 
was being successfully practiced. Above is a 
reproduction of a cut from an old book by 
Wm. Forsythe, showing a decaying cavity 
cleaned out and filled with his newly dis- 
covered “composition.” 
Saint James, who wrote in the year 
1790 concerning his tools and his meth- 
ods in tree surgery. Even then, some 
hundred and thirty years ago, he evi- 
dently regarded the subject as an old 
one, because in the preface to his 
unique book he says, “To the many 
publications which have appeared on 
the management of fruit and forest 
trees, it may be thought superfluous to 
add.” Forsythe’s methods seem to us 
about as strange as 'some of the old 
formulae for medicines that included 
all sorts of curious concoctions. Can 
anything seem stranger than his mix- 
ture of lime-rubbish, wood ashes, sand 
and cow manure? He claimed much 
credit for his “discovery” and surely 
there is not the slightest danger that 
modern experimenters will steal any 
of his ideas. 
The great step forward was made 
when concrete began to be used as a 
filler. It now seems to be the sensible 
thing with which to fill up a tree, as 
the dentist uses his concrete to fill a 
tooth. Things of the present seem 
logical but soon become quaint and out 
of place. Think of it a moment. Can 
there be anything more absurd than to 
put a stone into a tree? 1 here is a 
living, growing tree, swaying in the 
breeze and the storms, filled with a 
non-elastic stone, that does not bend 
nor shape itself, nor fit itself in anv 
way to the needs of life. Of course it 
is not wholly bad. It has many good 
qualities, but thoughtful tree surgeons 
have for a long time felt that some- 
Four of the man v special 
tools used by Forsythe in his 
tree surgery work. To use 
his own descriptions they are: 
Fig. 4 — “A large double- 
toothed saw, for cutting 
off large branches.” 
Fig. 2 — “A tool for cutting 
out the dead and decayed 
parts of hollow trees.” 
Fig. 8 — ‘‘A gouge, for gen- 
eral woi'k, and for cutting 
grooves to carry off water 
from hollows in trees.” 
Fig. 9 — “A small saw. thin 
on the back, for cutting off 
small branches, etc.” 
