The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-06-15
Mice-Girdled Trees.

At recent meeting of the Eln.ira
Farmers Club, several members gave
their views in answer to the inquiry of
an orchardist who had a number of
trees girdled by rabbits. In answer to
the inquiry, and in allusion to the rem
edy of making connection of the bark
above and below the denuded part by
inserting shoots, member said 1t was
next to Impossible u have this mode
succeed. Others spoke of the difficulty
in making the trees i've As frequent
inquiries are made On the subject, we
repeat in substance the mode described
In the Country Gentleman many years
ago. which we have always found easy
and certain, even for trees several inches
in diameter. Use twigs from fourth
to half an inch in diameter; the latter
size will be best II the tree is large
enough to hold them. They are sharp
ened to wedge at each end, and tho
openings made above and below the
girdled points, with narrow chisel to
receive them. II the girdled part is
low down, 1t will be necessary to dig
away some Of the earth, to make room
for the chisel to enter the upper part.
The twigs are first bent like q bow for
entering, and then brought nearly
straight when i'm place. 1t will be nee
essary to bind them to keep them firm
ly in their places. Then cover with
grating wax the two points of insertion.
We have always done this work in spring
before the buds opened, but il we'll per-
formed, it will doubtless succeed later
Some years ago gentleman who had
large pear orchard of some thousands
Of trees few years old called on us
early in spring and said he had met
with great loss-the mice had girdlcd
1920 trees in the course of two or three
days under March snow, where he had
permitted weeds and grass to grow.
They were, as he said, ''hopelessly ru-
ined," and the loss was at least 5000.
We assured him that he need not lose
them, and explained to him the above
described mode. But have no skilled
CRATER" said he. We told him that
any man who was handy with tools
could do the wOrk-a common carpen.
ter for instance. He accordingly went
to work and employed three men. They
could each finish sixty or eighty trees in
a day. with four shoots to each tree.
Nearly all survived and grew, as well
as 10 trees which remained uninjured.
except some sixty out of twelve hun
dred, and these were set by careless
bungler Where the work was well
done, they all lived. In few instances
only two shoots were inserted, but the
want was supplied in year or two by
inserting the upper ends of suckers
which sprang up below.
In the orchard alluded to at the Elmi-
RI Farmers Club, the trees had been
set out the previous year, were still
quite small. and the rabbits had girdled
them foot or more up while running
on crusted snow. The mode recon-
mended by some of the members. of
cutting down below the girdled portion,
and rubbing off all but the largest shoot
springing up from the grated portion
below, may be the easiest and best, and
in some instances II would furnish new
and handsome tree almost as soon as if
no injury had been done, but there need
be no difficulty in making the described
if smGn saOots are inserted,
with narrow chisel to make the Incl
sion, and with the whole well bound to-
gether and waXed.
The best treatment is prevention by
keeping the orchard clear of weeds and
grass, and, if necessary, embanking in
autumn with smooth, solid mounds of
earth. -Scientifc AMERICAN