The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-13
The ReJuvenescence OF Old Trees.
rGarden and Forest1

loaiucu anu EOlcot.l
The fact that old and apparently decrepit
deeiduous trees can be rejuvenated by judi.
cious pruning, is not well understood in this
country, where old trees, which might per-
haps be made to live century or two, are
often allowed to perish unnecessarily. The
death of a tree can generally be traced to a
gradual failing Of yigor due to insufficient
nourishment, or 10 internal decay the result
generally OF neglect. The first indication of
danger usually appears at the top. and when
the upper branches of a tree begin to die, it
is a sure indication that, unless radical meas
ures are taken to check the trouble, it can
only live comparatively short time. Vigor
can be restored to a tree in this condition by
shortening all its branches by one-third or
one-half of their entire length. The only
care needed in this operation is to cut back
each main branch to a healthy lateral branch
which will serve to attract and elaborate, by
means of its leaves, sufficient flow of sap
to insure the growth of the branch. This is
essential IN good pruning, and. if neglected
the end OF the branch will die hack to the
first lateral branch or bud below the cut,
leaving point of danger to the tree. Care
too, must be taken to shorten the branches
in such way that the lowest will be the
face may be exposed to the light The yigor
of tree depends upon the power of its
leaves to elaborate plant food. The larger
the leaf surface exposed to the light, the
greater will be the vigor of the tree. The
object of pruning therefore is to increase
leaf surface. II half of branch of a de-
crepit tree bearing small and scattered leaves
is cut away, the leaves which will grow upon
the half which is left will be so large that
their total area will often be more than
a fnf a orr rff I1..
whole branch before it was cut. The truth
Of this statement can be easily verified by
cutting down to the ground in the spring a
feeble seeding Oak. or, indeed, any young
seeding tree, when tall, vigorous shoot,
twice the height and diameter, perhaps, of
the slender stem it replaces will appear at
the end Of a few months, and, although this
shoot VIII only produce few leaves, its
greater vigor is due to the fact that larger
leaf surface is presented to the light by these
few large leaves than by the more numerous
smaller leaves of the original plant The
yigor, too, of tree, can be increased after il
has been pruned by good top dressing of
well rotted manure, or of fresh soil applied
over its roots; and trees growing on banks
can often be benefited by deepening the soil
on the lower side. A large body of plant
food can thus be supplied without burying
any part Of the trunk and without injury to
the tree.
The internal decay by which so MANY old
tAOCo ptiici, tlllOuBu ludDlllly TO resist The
influence of storms, Is caused by dead
branches allowed to remain upon che tree or
from the stumps of branches left in pruning
1t IS an almost inyariable custom in this
country when branch is cut from the stem
of a tree, to leave stump few inches long.
Inc end OF this branch, as it has no lateral
shoot TO insure flow of sap, is not healed
over with new formation of wood and bark
and soon dies. Decay thus begins, and this
decay gradually extends into the interior of
the trunk, running the tree for any useful
purpose, and so weakening the supporting
power OF the stem, that severe gale will
PROSTATE it. This decay can be prevented
by cutting of dead branches as fast as they
appear, and by cutting living branches, when
It Is necessary for any reason to remove
them close TO the trunk or close to the lateral
branch. The seclet of good pruning lies in
cutting close, so that the wound NAV heal by
the formation OF new growth over the cut
surface No matter how large il NAV he
necessary to make the wound, no branch
stump, large or small, should be left 10 prnn-
Ing. A coating of c0al-tar applied to the
wound as soon as made will serve TO protect
II from moisture, and will not interfere with
the formation CT a new layer of wood.
Pruning, SO far as the trees are concerned.
can be done at any time, except In very early
spring, when they are gorged with sap and
bleed" more freely than at other seasons of
the year. The Autumn, however is found
to be the best time for such work. There is
more leisure now than earlier in the season,
while the coating of ice which often. in this
climate, covers the branches of trees in win
ter, makes it difficult aud dangerous 70 work
among them.
Three men at least are needed to prune a
large tree properly, and to manage the long,
heavy ladders which this operation makes
necessary. One man stands at little dis
lance from the tree and directs where the
cuts shall be made; the second man uses the
saw, which must be attached often to long
handle; while the third holds one end of a
rope fastened to belt on the man in the tree
and passed over branch above his head as
q precautlon against fail. Nearly all our
forest trees bear severe pruning of this sort,
ana Improve under It, Decrepit Red, Black,
White and Swamp Oaks, Black Bircbes.
Beeches, Hlckories and Elms have been
pruned in this way in the Arnold Arbore-
tum, where many of the trees in the natural
woods were perishiDg from pasturage and
neglect. They were covered with dead
branches, the foliage upon them was thin
ana poor, and their dying tops showed that
they mad but short time to live. 1t was
trees until new growth of self-sown seed
lings could be brought on to replace them
and covering TO the forest floor grown A
portion of these old trees are pruned each
year. and those which were operated upon
first or six or seven years ago, shown in
their dense, dark-colOred foliage, compact
habit and vigorous growth, how pruning can,
without fresh soil and without the aid of
manure, put new life into feeble and dying
trees.
1t Soften happens that when trees are
grown together thckly. as in forest, they
are often destitute of lower branches. When
such trees are thinned, as often happens in
the Improvement of grounds, single speci-
mems are left with long, straight stems, and
without foliage except at the very TOP.
oucn trees, from the point of view of orna-
mental gardening, are ugly objects. and are
moreover, liable to blow down in the first
gale. '-0 Ai''
But there Is no decduous tree. however
tall and unsightlu it may be. which cannot
pe gradually converted into a handsome
a pot Of coal-tar. "