PARK AND CEMETERY. 
371 
an opportunity to heal over and naturally 
close or seal the injury. No chain should 
be wound around the limb or in any other 
way prevent natural circulation. A hook 
should be screwed into the limb and the 
chain fastened thereon, thus giving the 
smallest wound to the outer bark. The 
concrete in a cavity should be constructed 
in two parts, similar to the specifications 
of a concrete walk, the base consisting 
of five parts gravel, three parts sand and 
one part cement. The finish coat should 
not be less than one-half inch thick, of 
equal parts of sand and cement. Best re- 
sults are obtained by using good, clean 
material of a standard commodity. The 
outer coat should be made to conform to 
the general contour of the tree and should 
not extend beyond the growing part or 
cambium layer. All concrete work should 
be finished troweled as neatly as a good 
concrete walk. 
After filling is completed the outer bark 
should be traced back so as to remove all 
loose bark and form a sharp, clean and 
true edge. The top and bottom of the 
wound should be finished in a V shape. 
Less sap-flowing cells are cut in this man- 
ner than laterally or horizontally. 
If all decay is removed and the cavity 
ASKED AND 
Eradicating Dandelions. 
(From discussion at Ohio Cemetery Convention.) 
J. C. Cline : I would like to ask a ques- 
tion of these members here — if any of them 
know anything to eradicate the dandelion 
or keep it within bounds? 
The President: We have something that 
I got from F. H. Rutherford, of Hamil- 
ton, Canada, last season, a little rake ; they 
make a rake out of a solid piece of metal 
with teeth in the shape of knives some- 
thing like the old mower knife without rod 
or blade, and we can just go right along 
with that thing and take the tops right off 
of the dandelions as they appear, clean 
them right off and in that way not allow 
one of them to go to seed. It is a fine 
thing for the purpose. It cuts them and 
keeps them down, but the biggest trouble 
is what the other fellow across the fence 
will do to you. 
Mr. Cline: That is it. I will give you a 
little experience that I noticed in putting 
down a sanitary sewer from our comfort 
station. I had to dig through our lawn and 
we took the sod off and laid it to one side, 
dug the ditch and filled it in and put the 
sod back again. Where we took out the 
sod there are no dandelions growing. It 
showed a strip. There are no dandelions 
on that sod which we removed. I think if 
the sod is taken up and put back again, you 
filled so as to keep out all foreign sub- 
stances, the tree will be as healthy in every 
particular as a tooth that has been prop- 
erly filled by a reputable dentist. I be- 
lieve, however, that tree surgery is advanc- 
ing rapidly to the point where some ma- 
terial will be substituted for concrete. 
Whatever material that may be, we know 
that for the present concrete, if correctly 
applied, will make a true and lasting re- 
pair. 
I have often been asked whether it 
would pay to go to this expense for other 
than sentimental attachment to a particular 
tree on the home grounds. Taking into 
consideration that the apple tree should 
still be in good bearing condition at the 
age of 200 years, the cost distributed over 
that length of time will be practically nil. 
Provided, of course, that judicious prun- 
ing is maintained during this time. 
If wounds are cared for, results will be 
noticeable in the foliage and flowers, and 
if the fruit growers will attend to remedy- 
ing the decay in the trees, results are 
bound to be noticeable in the fruit. 
Caring for injured trees means, first, 
some study into the construction, habit, 
growth, and then some common sense cor- 
rectly applied. 
ANSWERED 
will kill the dandelions for one year. It 
might be an expensive job. 
Mr. Woodward : You will get two shoots 
when you cut one off. 
Mr. Cline: We only cut the sod about 
two inches. I don’t think there are a half 
dozen visible on the six hundred feet. 
Wherever we cut sod in our field, where 
the dandelions are cut off they don’t show 
in the sod the first year, but in the next 
year they will. 
Mr. Kern : To substantiate what you said 
about the use of the rake which you ad- 
vocated, I have been using about four of 
them for a number of years. They are an 
English rake. I believe they are made in 
England. They are a good thing. You are 
able to clean the lawn from dandelions on 
the surface by pulling the tops off, but you 
are not removing the root. Therefore it is 
absolutely necessary if we are determined 
to clean out the dandelions, you must re- 
peat that operation at least for the coming 
tw'o or three years, because by tearing off 
the top of the dandelion the first year, we 
are causing it to form five, six or seven 
where one grew before, and if we are not 
back the following year on the job with 
our rakes we will have thicker dandelions 
than ever before. And therefore I wish to 
caution you gentlemen who think well of 
the rake, you must keep it up if you are 
cutting your dandelions or you will have 
them thicker than ever. 
Mr. Woodward: Which produces the 
thicker growth, the added crown or added 
seed? If you don’t take the dandelion clear 
off and let the seed scatter, it would pro- 
duce thousands of other plants. If you 
tear the head off, the plant will produce 
new crowns, which would multiply. You 
would have more in that way in that season. 
Mr. Kern : At that time of year when 
dandelion is in bloom we are usually busy 
and there are other things to be done be- 
sides pulling heads off dandelions, and for 
that reason it is that the dandelion gets 
by us. We are too busy to send men to 
take out the dandelions and usually they 
are back on the job quicker than ever. 
Mr. Cline: This spring I tried another 
experiment with dandelions. We have a 
great many of them, and just as soon as 
the flower showed far enough I had them 
go with a scythe over it and cut them off 
before the seed got ripe and rake that 
stuff off. 
Corner Boundary Markers. 
Editor Asked and Answered : Has the 
corner boundary marker or stone of the 
type usually erected by individuals any 
place in the modern cemetery? Is it cus- 
tomary now to make regulations prohibit- 
ing them? Do they serve any useful pur- 
pose save when there is snow on the 
ground and it is desired to establish loca- 
tions for graves? — J. N., Conn. 
The corner boundary markers are useful 
in enabling the owners of lots or the em- 
ployees of the cemetery to at once de- 
termine boundaries. These markers can 
be of stone, concrete or other durable ma- 
terial. They should not project above the 
ground and there should be but one at each 
corner. For the purpose of securing uni- 
formity in design and accuracy in placing 
the markers they should be furnished and 
set by the cemetery association instead of 
the individual lot owners. Another reason 
for their being furnished by the cemetery 
management is that, with the exception of 
the markers at corners of walks and drives, 
or corners of walks and other walks, 
they never should be set wholly on one lot. 
If four lots come together at one point, 
one stone should mark the location of this 
point, which would be determined by the 
intersection of grooves cut in the top of 
the stone, the stone itself being partly on 
each of the four lots. At Graceland the 
markers are made of concrete, are slightly 
convex on the top surface, which is placed 
even with the ground, and show, in addi- 
tion to the lot lines, the lot number and 
name of the lot owner. When there is 
snow, it is easy to find them by shoveling 
it away. O. C. Simmonds, 
Landscape Gardener, Graceland Cem. 
Chicago, 111. 
* * • 
No doubt the writer of these queries has 
in mind primarily corner stones of various 
An exchange of experience on practical matters by our readers. You 
are invited to contribute questions and answers to this department 
