402 REPORT OF THE HorTrICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
in cold weather. The gnawing of trees by rabbits indicates a 
want on the part of the animal of something green, and- some 
nurserymen find ample protection from ‘their ravages by scat- 
tering corn fodder or other substances that rabbits crave 
amongst their plantings. Injuries from rabbits are usually 
worst at times when snows have covered such green stuff as 
they are in the habit of eating. Hence if it is desired to decoy 
rabbits from trees by furnishing stuff they like better, it is 
necessary to scatter fresh material after each heavy snow. 
Rabbits will not bother anything that has been tainted by con- 
tact with raw meat or blood; and protection, for a time at least, 
can be secured by rubbing the bark of all young trees liable to 
be injured, with a piece of fresh meat. Veneer wrappers or 
any close covering will protect trees from rabbits and usually 
from mice, but the expense of securing and putting on such 
covering is considerable. 
The seriousness of injuries from rabbits and mice, and conse- 
quent treatment, depend, naturally, on the depth and extent of 
the wound. If the wound does not extend through the bark 
into the sapwood, the cambium underlying the injury wil! 
seldom die and in these cases all that is desired is to prevent 
drying out of the wound. For this purpose there is nothing 
better than an application of grafting wax. (For a good stiff 
grafting wax, melt together 7 parts resin, 2 parts beeswax and 1 
part tallow by weight.) Applications of bandages, earth, dung, 
etc., are often recommended, but by keeping the surfaces of the 
wound damp they furnish favorable conditions for the growth 
of decay germs and may do more harm than good. When the 
injury does extend through the bark into the sapwood, the 
cambium being destroyed, such a wound must heal from the 
side. If the extent of the wound be slight in comparison with 
the circumference of the tree no treatment is necessary, beyond 
that already mentioned, and the injury will usually be covered 
by the overlapping growth within a short time. Where the deep 
injury extends over one-fourth of the distance around the tree 
it is advisable, however, to use some artificial means of hasten- 
ing the healing process. 
