The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1886-10-30
Repairing Split Trees.


brought together again and secured
with bolts. | will describe = case Of
unusual severity, which will illus
tratc the method to be employed in
repairing broken trees. An over la
dened Baldwin tree, a foot or more
in diameter, the top of which start
ed about four feet from the ground
was broken down by wind storm.
The broken portion included nearly
half the tree, and it split away from
the main portion and lay fiat upon
the ground. The split reached to the
heart of the trunk, and extended to
the ground. Ropes were secured to
the fallen portion, ard were then
passed around limbs on the stand
ing portion; so that the broken part
could he pulled up as with So many
ropes and pulleys. Several men
pulled up the broken half, and a
three fourths inch iron rod was then
passed through the body, and the
two parts were brought snugly to-
gether by a heavy nut. Two rods,
five or six feet long, were passed
through the branches higher up,
and were drawn tight by nuts. The
heads Of the bolts were large and
fat, 50 thatthey could not be pulled
into the wood, and the nuts had
large washers underneath them. The
split was then thoroughly waxed over
and covered with a piece of rubber
cloth. The two parts of the tree
united, and in two years there was
no evidence of a split except the
bolts. Bands placed about trees to
brace them are always injurious, as
they restrict growth. l have never
known'injury to result from the use
Of bolts. The heads are soon cover
ed up by the new growth, and no
trace is left of them.
Large limbs often break down in
such a manner as to preclude all
possibility Of rejoining the broken
parts. The loss of the limbs may
destroy the symmetry Of the tree
In such cases one must keep the re-
naming portion of the tree cut back
and must trim up the sprouts which
spring from the wounded places to
make good the missing portion. If
SUCH sprouts do not arise they can
be made by the use of cions. Trim
of smoothly the remaining broken
ends of the branches, and insert the
cions between the bark and the
wood, at a distance of an inch apart
all around the wound. Cions for this
purpose should be cut thin, with
both edges of the bevel equal in
thickness. As soon as the cions are
SIT, wax over all exposed surfaces
thoroughly, the same as for ordina
ry grating. If trees are girdled by
mice or rabbits in the winter, some
method should early be pursued to
save them. The very first method
after the mischief is discovered is
to protect the wounded surface by
tying over it heavy rags, or banking
earth against it This keeps the
surface of the wood soft, and pre-
vents checking and drying by wind.
1t is useless to insert cions or to ap-
ply any other remedies until the
trees begin to start in the spring.
Fresh COW dung plastered over the
denuded surface, and tied on tight
ly with an abundance of cloths, viii
always save trees that are girdlet
before July, and it will usually saw
those girdled later. / have know
no less than hundred trees to b.
saved in this manner, and do moi
recall a single failure.-AmericaI
Agriculturist.
The Ladies Church Working So
ciety will meet on Thursday next u
| n - .. "A A.. n.~.'c