TREE DISEASES AND TREATMENT 
i75 
Slime-flux is an ailment frequently found on the Elm, 
Maple, Yellow Birch and some other trees. This is in the 
nature of an ulcer and is usually associated with a wound. 
It is sometimes found in connection with a defective 
cement-filled cavity. The ailment usually appears in the 
spring and is characterized by a flow of slimy, discolored 
sap from the opening. This slime forms a fermenting sub¬ 
stance which may be poisonous to vegetation, as shown by 
the killing of grass upon which it drops. It has destruc¬ 
tive effect on the bark and on the wood immediately 
beneath, and if it is allowed to progress, serious damage 
and even the death of the tree may be caused. The best 
method of treatment for slime-flux is to make upright 
incisions in the bark, close to the wound, for the purpose 
of draining the liquid as quickly as possible and perhaps 
introducing an antiseptic wash. After the flow has 
stopped, the diseased parts should be cut away and the 
surface sterilized and painted as with other cavities. 
Various trees are subject to trouble in the form of 
root-rot and other diseases of the root system. Root-rot 
is the result of a fungus, which usually enters through an 
underground wound. This fungus drains the vitality of 
the roots and eventually kills the tree or so weakens its 
base as to cause it to fall an easy victim to windstorms. 
Well-known symptoms of this disease are the hard, black, 
branching strands known as “shoestrings,” which are found 
interlaced in the roots, and particularly between bark and 
wood, and penetrating the surrounding soil. These 
“shoestrings” ultimately form the fruiting body on the 
surface of the ground, which takes the form of a mush¬ 
room appearing to grow from the soil. The mushrooms 
are easily recognized when fresh and complete, appearing 
in groups or clusters the color of honey. On each of them a 
distinct ring appears on the stem, just below the umbrella- 
