Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-12-30
MENDiNG TREE S.
A Necessity Arising From Injuries by
Hungry Rabbits and Mice.

1t often happens that young trees are
injured during the winter by having their
trunks gnawed by rabbits or mice
Mice do not like to travel far in search
for food; they prefer short forays. So
the first thing to do to prevent their at
lacking tree trunks is to allow no litter
or grass or other material in which the
animals would likely build their nests
to remain near the trees. n. second pre-
caution is to heap earth around the
trunks to the depth of say eight inches
or a foot ia a little conical mound and
to press this down somewhat SO that
winter rains will not wash much of it
away. The mice do not seem to care to
climb up these mounds but rather go
around them in travelling from place to
place.
Rabbits and hares will travel consider
able distances in search of food, so the
same precautions as given for mice will
not apply SO definitely to them. These
animals do not, rule. make nests or
burrows in orchards, but II there is food
in the orchard. they will get the habit of
coming for it and when this food gives
out, they will turn to the trees.
In spite of such precautions rabbits
often visit orchards and therefore soma
sort of protection is necessary To keep
the trunks from being attacked Per-
haps the best form of protection is wire
netting. This need not be finer than half
inch mesh. Preferably this netting should
be of galvanized wire so as to last for
several years. The proper width to buy
is two foot.
The netting should be cut with timers
shears i'll strips long enough to extend
around the tree and still leave two or
three inches to allow for expansion as
the tree trunks grow. Strips of wood
may be used instead of wire netting, but
these are not as useful nor as convenient
to apply.
But supposihg that the. trees have been
left unprotected in any way and the
trunks have been injured. What then
should be done? The best thing is to
wrap the trunks with bandages of blan-
ket inside of which soil is placed SO as to
prevent the excessive drying out of the
stems before spring. This is only tenn
porary arrangement. When growth be-
gins in the spring, the bandages should
be removed, the old bark pared back
with sharp knife around the wounds
! until fresh and living bark is reached.
Then twigs should be placed so as 70
bridge over the gaps. These twigs may
lie flat against the trunks or be slightly
bowed outward but they must always be
| firmly held in place. 1t is important that
| they be pared at their ends so as to form
| thin wedges without injuring their bark
, at the sides of these wedges. Then they
should be thrust beneath the bark both
above and below the gaps.
The object sought with these twigs or
scions is to establish growth between the
two edges of the wound. The sap will
ascend and descend through them and
the tree thus be saved. Enough twigs
should be placed across the wound to do
the duty of the old trunk. For instance,
d tree with a diameter of an inch, if
| completely girdled, should have from
four to six scions inserted. Larger
trunks should have the seions as close
together as an inch.
These cuts and the twigs must be COW
cred with some material that will not al
low evaporation of sap from the wounds
and will not interfere in any way with
growth, but rather promote develop
ment. The best material to use is graft
ing wax This is made of melted resin,
tallow and beeswaN. One of the most
popular wakes is made as follows:
In an old iron pot place three parts by
weight of resin, three of beeswax and
two of tallow. Warm these over gem
tie fire until all three are melted After
they have liquiiied and have been stirred
until thoroughly mixed the fluid should
be poured with cold water and worked
with the hands in just the same way
that molasses taffy is worked, except
that the working is under water until
the mess is cool enough to pull. When II
is of the color of molasses taffy, due TO
the pulling, it is ready for use.
Application should be SO thorough that
no air can get beneath the wax Nothing
further need be done. The twigs as they
grow will push the wax away and In
time pieces will drop off and the tree Will
have been saved.-Christian Science
Monitor.