REPAIR OF SHADE TREES 157 
tion of a tree. Felling the tree with an ax would be 
cheaper and no less certain. 
The menace of the incompetent tree surgeon has been 
recognized by Connecticut and other states in the passage 
of laws designed to 
protect the public 
against his destruc¬ 
tive methods. One 
such law requires 
that no person may 
practice tree surgery 
or repair without a 
license, and that this 
license shall not be 
granted until the 
applicant has proved 
himself qualified for 
the work. If trees 
are worth having, 
they are worth pro¬ 
tecting from the rav¬ 
ages of the quack, and 
experience shows 
that this requires 
strict legal regula¬ 
tion, with severe 
penalties for the vio¬ 
lator. This sort of legislation seems as necessary for safe¬ 
guarding the welfare of trees as for the protection of 
human life and limb. 
The simplest surgical operation is the removal of dead 
or dying branches or decaying stubs, followed by anti¬ 
septic treatment and the application of a water-proof 
covering as protection against moisture and decay. 
Proper and improper tree surgery. 
