Evening star., 1909-03-14

ana TRUNKS. Eins or flttT years growth
we're cut and sawed and hacked until no
trace was left OF grace or beauty: every
variety of shade or fruit tree has been
butchered until 1t bore no remotest resem-
biance to its original form. II is not
many years since this style Of work was
the only known way Of caring for trees:
and the streets and parks of many a city
bear testimony to this day. in gnarled,
bushy. unhandsome shade trees, to the
effects of the work
OF late years. however a new science
has arisen. The men who follow It call
themselves scientific foresters.' doctors
of applied forestry and the like There
Is little of forestry In their work, how
ever; 1t deals with the individual tree,
while forestry. in any of its branches. has
to do with trees collectively. The popular
name for these scientific foresters,"
therefore. Is far more expressive and ac-
curate: people who have seen their work
and watched their methods call them
tree doctors" tree surgeons or even
tree dentists And when their work is
carefully watched there is much to justify
all of these popular names.
The methods OF the tree surgeon are ex-
actly opposed to those of the oid-fash-
loned tree butcher. Instead of cutting and
siashing at all the limbs of a tree, as the
butcher used to do, the surgeon carefully
inspects the individual tree, looking at 1t
from all sides, and then removes only
those limbs or portions Of limbs that de-
stroy the trees symmetry. And the tree
surgeon does even this in new ways using
new precautions. and preserving the con-
tour and the vitality Of the tree in ways
that never even occurred to the man
whose equipment for this work was a
hand ak. saw and muscular development
The tree butcher used to hack off the
limbs anywhere, without regard for SYM
metry or the after effect on the tree. He
never cut off limb flush with the parent
limb or trunk. but always left stump
from six inches to foot or so in length.
This procedure he explained on the
ground that 1t was done to prevent the
tree bleeding. The inevitable result was
that the stump dried. then decayed and
left a hole, into which rain and snow
water tiOwed. collected and. standing.
rotted a cavity that in few years de-
Stroyed the entire tree. Perhaps if 4
hole were found in the body of the tire :
the butcher tackled u piece of tin over it:
more frequently he didn't, but just left
the hole, as something beyond his knowl-
edge and ability to repair.
:
During the last few months several
crews Of tree surgeons have been working
in Washington and vicinity. and an in
vestigation of their methods and the re-
suits obtained by them causes one to
wonder why their work is not more widely
known and why it was not begun Ions
ago To one who looks on while experts
in the new science are treating IA tree
the reasons for the name tree doctor
or tree surgeon are perfectly apparent
for their work resembles nothing SO much
that of a careful surgeon performing
an operation that requires exactitude
precaution. careful attention TO detail and
absolute thoroughness. Indeed. these
tree surgeons even usF the methods-ol
many of thenl-Of modern aseptic surgery
as applied to human beings; cavities ir
tree trunks are as carefully cieansed and
sterilized, and then filed, as if the tree
surgeons were dentists, and the whole
work is performed in such a manner as
10 create the impression that here are
men at work who know their business.
AT Mount Vernon lately the trees sur
rounding the mansion have nearly al
been treated by tree experts. large
holly tree. said to have been planted by
Gen. Washington himself. and which wa.
in very bad condition. has been put int
such shape as will enable 1t to survive
for many years; while other trees on tht
estate that without treatment could no
have lasted more tfan another winter Of
20 have bean given new leases OF life. ant