Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-11
Of trees and the care Of all wounds. both
new and old.

new dIu Olu
Every rotten spot upon a tree is the
result Of some wound or injury which
may have been
Every Cut or Wound received when
Should Be Protected. vo v RE- Peca "as
it was neglected it developed rot and de-
cay just as the neglected wound of an
animal may suppurate and produce seri-
GUS conditions. Every cut or wound
made In tree should be promptly pro-
tected by coating of tar or lead paint.
applied from two to four days after the
cutting. so that the surface may be dry
enough to absorb it properly. In eXcep-
tiOnal cases. this coating may be applied
immediately after the cutting, when to do
1t later would necessitate the dangerous
reclimbing of high tree.
Large wounds should be inspected each
year and painted or tarred until they are
scars appear upon the surface these
should be carefully filled with tar or
paint to keep out moisture.
The time of pruning is important. 1t
should be done when there is the least
flow of sap, and when there is the long
est possible growing season to assist in
healing the wound The method of cut
ting off branches is also important. In
removing a large limb, an undercut
should be made first in order to prevent
splitting slivers of bark and wood from
the trunk.
In taking off a large heavy branch, it
is better to cut off the main body first at
a distance of several feet from the trunk.
after which the stub can be amputated
without danger of running the tree.
No protruding stumps of limbs must be
left They give the tree an unsightly
appearance and are rarely. If ever. healed
over. Even after many years the ex-
posed wood may admit decay into the
trunk of the tree. The tree doctor fire.
quently finds his heaviest work in curing
the decay resulting from these protuber-
ances, which need never have begun il
the first cutting had been properly done
X X
interesting operation, both to the tree
doctor and
Filling Tree Cavity the many
Interesting Operation. like to watch
his work. After the cavity has been thor
oughly cleaned out a thin coating of tar
is applied. Creosote was formerly used
for this purpose, but has been discon-
tinued because it has been found to
penetrate the wood of the tree and to
escape through the bark. After the first
coating has dried a heavier one is APP
piled. This. too, is thoroughly dried be-
fore the filing is applied. The filling is
mixed according to the size Of the cavity.
For a small cavity one part Of Portland
cement and two parts Of sand are used.
For the main part Of a large cavity a
mixture of two parts cement to one part
gravel is preferable. This mixture should
be run into the cavity in a semi-liquid
form and allowed to set for several days
Then the top filling of cement and sand
is applied. This last is dyed as nearly
the color Of the tree as possible.
The skill of the tree doctor has been
better demonstrated in Washington than
in any other city In the country. The
United States government is spending
thousands of dollars each year not only
in planting new trees in the National
Capital. but in giving expert care to
many old ones.
Many of the Washington trees have
historic legends connected with them
One of the oldest is an elm upon the
southeast corner of the White House
lawn upon which $3.50 has recently been
expended for treatment According to
authentic records of the War Depart
ment, this tree was planted by John
Quincy Adams,