Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-09-09
.DOCTOR|NG THE OLD TREE
1T TAKES IS TONS OF CON.
CRETE TOFILL OLD CAVITY
UaiqBc Work Of Tree Surgery on Old
Tulip Poplar at 81. Johns College

Probably no work Of a more inter
estinx character has ever been pei
formed. here than that now IN progress
on IS. Johns College, campus. where
tbe 'Old liberty Poplar is being
treated ~ tree doctors.
THE old. time -honorod and historic
tree Is being treated % "A case of den
tai surgery. Its hollow tooth. an inn
nense cavity 5ome 30 feot long, Is be-
ing dIled with concrete. 10 takes just
twenty-five or more tons of concrete
10 fIl this cavity. and the work is as
delicate and skillfui lbut not painfully
as that Of fiIlng an old tooth.
The method Of niling the hollow in
the tree -. however. both unique and
novel The hollow is in one limb,
fifty feet above the ground. IL is so
large that men 20 inside and cisan ii
out. entering the hollow from the top
by ropes. Three men are working in
this hollow usually az one time, and
are near enough to touch each other
with i4-foot poles.
The cavity is seEaped clean Sounds
like that little Internal machine that
is run by the pedal extremities Of q
dentist when he cleans out.your tooil
ugh y After the seraping and cIear
ing process, the cavity is prepared
that Is, given an antisegtic wash, uf
some solution lBOt listerine) aua
after all this is completed the work
Of aIling the cavity is begun.
This is a delicate job and has to
be done to a nicely. The "Glling"
must come - the edge of the bark,
not over 1t. and The bark will then
grow over and around the cement
nliing. For scientific reasons and
perhaps to deceive the eye Of the adj
mirer Of old historic trees, the cement
flling is given coat of paint, and
at the edge of the bark il is actually
touched up in stripes to- resemble
the formation OF the bark. This is
all very artistieally done.
The men who do this work Of clean
ing the cavity have TO be pulled out
OF the tree. All the dead limbs of
the old tulip poplar are being cut of
and when the doctoring Is completed
the tree will be rs good as ever.
Mr.. WitheTs. under whose contract
the work IS being done, was in An
napolis today, and witnessed its
progress. II is expected to complete
the work in about two weeks.
Superintendent l.. III. Mead has
charge Of the work of doctoTing the
old tree. He is one of the descendants
of the family OF General Mead fame,
who came To this country in l64O,
one brother settling in Virginia, and
one in New England. The tree doctor
is Of the Virginia branch, and has
made forestry, landscape and nursery
a life's work in which he is greatly
Interested.
Mr.. Mead has in his employ four
Italians. PctrO Santacru, Bodis
Sansruchii, 81 Pcruchi, John Petrela.
When asked Why the tree dentists are
Italians, MIR. Mead said because they
are tho best climbers, the most fear
less workmen in mid air. They do
not hesitate TO stand on a 6-inch
limb. and work with a double section
saw twenty-eight feet long saving
oil limb. These Italians have
worked in their own country and are
all good climbers and wholly fearless.
Mr.. Mcad's last work in rehabilitat-
ing old trees was at Belair, whore he
doctored thirty or more trees on the
estate Of Mr.. C0llington. These reju
yeuated trees consisted Of holly, oaks,
tulip poplars, etc. Mr.. Withers, who
is the famous tree surgeon and under
whose direction the tree surgery Is be-
ing done, says the old Liberty Poplar
ON IT. Johns campus is between 800
and.G0O years old, probably 900 years,
but certainly over 500. lie says If
this. WORK had not been done the ia
nous old tree would not have with
stood the weather conditions much
longer. 1t is mere shell, and was
likely to have blown down at any
time.
The tree is 81 feet 3 inches in cir
cumfercnce, and Mr.. Witbers stated
today to n Capital reporter that he
has not seen a tree SO large as this,
this side OF California. Two large
limbs, 80 feet from the ground divide
the two large trunks. There is a hol-
low 80 TO 40 feet, which is being
treated and when the tree doctoring Is
completed the tree will be in as good
condition as ever, vigorous, healthy
and liourishing, as IL rs still growing.
ffanE