Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1908-11-12
TREE SURGERY.
How Cement Is Used to the Preserva
ton of Valuable Trees.

What is tree surgery? In so far as
it applies to the cement work alone
good answer would be that it is the
practical application Of dentistry Il
trees, says Cement Age, New York
But this answer would not cover tn,
many branches of the profession, cor
sisting of trimming, claiming, packing
scraping, spraying and fertflizng. Tree
surgery is, in fact, an advanced deyel
opment of arboriculture Both fruiI
and shade trees are valued now
never before, and the fact has become
generally known that by skillful metl
DDS of the tree surgeon it is poSSibl
to give new lease of life to tree.
which apparently had reached thei
limit Of existence It is safe to sa.
that almost any tree of medium ags
may be saved ~ these ne. lC;,s Q
the many branches embraced n tIli:
work the cement filing forms By ia
the largest and most important part
The practice of filing cavities wit
cement has long been in Use, but whe.
carried out along the usual lines i
only serves to add to the CT iginal trou
BILE. The method of sealing up the
decayed section simply increased the
decay. Many examples. may be seer
cavity was covered by the cement, nc
regard having been paid to drainag,
or the subsequent healing CT the
wound. rs the cement did not stric tc
+ the wood and the swaying of the tree
by the wind often enlarged the crack
between the wood and the filing, wa
ter penetrated behind the cement anC
decay went on even more rapidly thar
before.
The tree grows in girth by the de
post of thin layer of new wood be
tween the wood and the bark There
are three layers in this coat-the mid
die one being composed of thin form
ing tissues known as the "cambium.'
The inner side Of this layer forms new
wood the outer new bark. 1t is thi.
new layer and the layers of the fou:
or five previous years that are known
as the sapwood, and form the active
section Of the trunk and branches
The cells Of these inner rings are
gradually covered by the yearly de
post of new growth, and from living
sapwood become heartwood, which is
dead and serves merely as a strong
framework for the living parts Of the
tree and as storehouses for excess ma
terial.
This is often the reason why hollow
trees may often be found in flourish
ing condition when the heartwood may
have entirely disappeared. However
a landscape tree in this condition, de
prived of the shelter of its fellows, is
in grave danger, for a high wind CT
heavy snowfall may find it an easy
victim
After the mass of decay has been re
moved from the interior of a rotting
trunk there remains a shell of living
sapwood and bark. Into this cavity a
steel brace is inserted and bolted in
| place. This gives to the tree a sta
bility which by the decay of the sup
porting heartwood it had lost. Now
comes an important operation, the cut
ting of the watersheds, which prevent
the entrance of moisture. The water
! sheds consist of deep groove cut
about an inch inside the edge and
! opening to the ground below. The &C.
ment, being packed tightly into these
! grooves, forms a channel down which
the water flows, to be led out at the
base. The cavity is then wired
throughout, the wire being stretched
from nails driven into the wood, and
| actino oc raonforoin0 for tho oonopt
This work having been completed, the
cement is made as moist as possible
and then built out into the origina
outline of the tree. The bark which has
been cut back for an inch or SO il
order to prevent bruising while the
work is in progress will eventually
cover the filled in wound, the tree thus
regaining its normal appearance.
In the base Of exceptionally large
cavities the opening is covered BY
large strips of zinc. The cement is
then forced down into every crevice
and allowed to set, after which the
zinc is removed and coat of fine fin
ishing cement put on and painted the
color of the bark. BY this method the
tree surgeon is enabled to build ou
trees where fully half the wood may
have been destroyed by lightning OF
from some other cause. This treat
ment serves as fine example of the
healing powers of nature, for it is re
markable how quickly these wound.
will heal when protected from moist
ure and further decay by the cemen
filing insured by the watersheds.