THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 
7i 
TREE SURGERY A PATENTED DEVICE. 
"D ESPONDING to a request for information regard- 
ing proceedings begun by the Davey Tree Ex- 
pert Co., an officer of that company has replied as 
follows : 
"You are correctly informed — we have instituted pro- 
ceedings against a number of firms, operating more or 
less extensively throughout the East, for infringement 
of patent rights. In order that you may see the justice 
of such action, it will be necessary to give you a brief 
history of this profession. 
"A number of year ago, Mr. John Davey, after years 
of study along agricultural and horticultural lines on 
both sides of the Atlantic, specialized in the care of trees 
and finally, published a book known as 'The Tree Doc- 
tor'. This book, even though quite crude as judged by 
present standards, contained many truths of vital impor- 
tance and accomplished a number of things. As the 
book became more widely circulated, a great movement 
for the better care of trees, gained impetus and, at the 
same time, there arose a demand for trained men to do 
the things which Mr. Davey had pointed out as necessary 
for the well-being of their trees. 
"In order to solidify the organization, Mr. Davey 
sought protection under the U. S. Patent Laws and, 
about the same time, incorporated "The Davey Tree Ex- 
pert Company". The U. S. Government found that we 
had invented new and useful methods and granted us 
patents on most of the valuable mechanical processes 
used in the practice of Tree Surgery. 
"By this time, the movement had become so popu- 
lar, that there was being expended between one and two 
million dollars annually. Many marvelous 'cure-alls' 
and 'elixirs of life' were devised by 'butchers and 
bakers and candle-stick makers' so that they too, might 
'get in on' this money which was being lavished on 
trees. A great many fakes were exposed by the news- 
papers and magazines but many, who should have been 
exposed, seemed to thrive. 
"About the year 1912, the movement had reached its 
height — it was a very simple matter to secure business. 
People, apparently, were anxious to spend their money 
to have their trees preserved and were willing victims 
of almost any fellow 7 who came along posing as a 'tree 
doctor'. The re-action finally came — the buying public 
began to realize that a very large percentage of the 
money they had spent, was wasted and, what is still 
more serious, their trees were in worse condition than 
they were prior to the treatment. 
"In the meantime, it had been conclusively demon- 
strated that where the work had been done with the 
exacting care which a reliable surgeon exercises ; where 
the wood had been disinfected ; where the 'water-shed' 
groove had been used just inside the edge of the cavity 
to exclude moisture ; where the cavity had been thor- 
oughly reinforced with steel braces and where the sec- 
tional process of filling had been employed, the work was 
in perfect condition and the fillings were healing over 
beautifully — in fact, many have, long since, healed com- 
pletely over. 
"Any reliable tree man will tell you that there are 
certain processes of carving a cavity which are abso- 
lutely right and must be adhered to : that there are cer- 
tain mechanical braces which are indispensable ; also that 
the cement must be put in in sections to allow for the 
sway of the tree ; — these processes and devices of which 
he will tell you, are patented. 
"Within the last two or three years, most tree men 
who had previously avoided infringements of our patent 
rights, have come to realize that it is impossible to do 
Tree Surgery without infringing in one or more respects. 
We did not object to slight infringements because every 
good job that is done, boosts the business as a whole. 
However, they became so emboldened and were so 
flagrant in their violations, that it became necesasry to 
bring suit. 
"Unfortunately, when the Government grants a patent, 
it does not say at the same time, 'I will protect you from 
infringement.' We propose to protect the public, and, 
at the same time, to reap the reward of years of labor, 
the investment of a large amount of capital in experi- 
mental works and the faithful adherence to an ideal 
which is 'Quality First' work always. 
"We have established the validity of our patei ts in 
the Federal Courts on several occasions and expect to 
protect ourselves in the future just as any inventor 
would." 
THINGS AND THOUGHTS OF THE GARDEN 
(Continued from page 56.) 
that a noted hybridist who had carried out many 
crosses and raised some fine commercial varieties of 
Amaryllis, did not know anything of the physiological 
processes that result from fertilation, and further, had 
names of his own for the stamen, pistil and ovary. And 
a foreman under whom the present writer worked at 
one period would scarcely have been guilty of sprink- 
ling both soot and lime together in a moist wood frame 
and closing it tightly after putting his newdy potted 
Cinerarias in it, had he known or thought of the 
pungent ammonia that would immediately be thrown 
off. What actually happened was that the edges of 
the leaves of the plants were badly scorched. It will 
be said that his common-sense should have told him, 
or that his practical experience was at fault. Perhaps. 
But what is common sense ? On what is practical 
experience based? Is it not on what has been dis- 
covered? — discovered by us or for us? And if this 
is true, and it is, then what is science? We all know 
the definition of science — "exact knowledge." That's 
what we're after, even the most rabid of the merely 
"practical" school of our fellow-craftsmen. The 
science is all right ! it is the little knowledge that's the- 
dangerous thing. 
It is their belief that sufficient knowledge is beyond 
their acquiring that keeps many, perhaps most, of our 
men from beginning the attempt. Let it be as easy 
for us to get this knowledge then as possible. This 
is where the National Association of Gardeners can 
step in. It is already making a start, and with the 
present men at the head and others that will follow 
them, fuller opportunities will surely be afforded. 
One looks ahead to the time when a circulating library 
will be part of the scheme of things. Men have lived, 
learned, died, and left us the result of their findings 
in books. We can save ourselves going over the same 
ground by reading these books, and we can continue, 
where they left off. That is how our Laws have come 
down to us. At least their writings can give us sug- 
gestions. By getting away as far as possible from the 
merely empirical stage of garden craft we will find 
it easier to solve the problem I first spoke of, namely, 
setting up a barrier against the interloper. We be- 
lieve that quality tells, that merit, like truth, "will 
out," that intelligent owners of estates appreciate and 
will pay for able, efficient supervision of their gar- 
dens, and it is therefore up to us to become equipped. 
If we don't believe it then the sooner we close the- 
offices of the association the better. 
