The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-10-21
SURGERY FOR TREES
DEMANDS GOOD Men
Tree Surgery as Science Ev-
cry Year More Generally
Appreciated.

A cavity in decayed tree is some
thing like cavity in decayed tooth.
If an unreliable tree surgeon who has
been called in to save the tree only par
TALLY removes the diseased part Of the
wood, uses no antiseptic coatings In
the cavity and fills it up with cement
the tree is no more cured than Is a
person whose decayed tooth has not
been properly filled by dentist. The
only difference is that after the tree
cavity has been covered, if the work
has not been properly done, the tree
has no way of making its trouble
known except by further decay.
Within the last decade there has
been a great increase in demand for
surgeons to repair decaying shade
trees, but the possibilities of practic-
ing fraud in this profession like the
instance just cited have tempted so
many unreliable people to dabble In
the science that tree surgery has fall
en- somewhat into disrepute. The
United States department of agricul-
ture realizes that commercial tree sur
gerry should occupy high place in the
estimation of the public, and has re-
Gently issued a pamphlet entitled,
"Practical Tree Surgery wherein sug-
gestions are made for Improvement
along these lines.
AS in all professions, there are re-
liable and unreliable men and firms
competing for contracts in tree sur
gerry. In recent years so many Occa-
sions have arisen when property own
ers felt the necessity of calling IN COM
mercial tree surgeons to attend TO
their trees that there are now numer-
Gus firms, both honest and dishonest
engaged in the work. Usually tree sur
gerry is practiced in connection with
some nearly related line, but often 1t
is taken up as a business OF ITSELF
When a blight such as the chestnut
bark disease, infests the trees OF DIS
tract, the community, or individuals IN
it, will often spend considerable money
to control ravages which may ROB the
whole district Of it's trees. An a1fec-
ton like the chestnut bark disease is
contagious 1t requires SCIENTIFIC
knowledge of the disease to know
whether an affected tree should be de-
stroyed at once or is worth treating.
It requires scientific training to under
stand the manner of growth OF the
fungi causing the disease and what
treatment is best.
MANY individuals who have had faith
in tree surgery have lost it through
following the advice of unreliable tree
surgeons who claimed to be able to
diagnose case, but whose main in
terest was to collect a good sum OF
money for their work.
Besides the careless filling OF de-
cayed cavities in trees, there are other
practices Of certain so-called tree
surgeons" that do the trees more harm
than good. Many of these surgeons
as we'll as the people who employ
them. do not realize the danger arts
ing from fresh injuries to a tree. The
tree owner should realize that prompt
attention to fresh injuries will largely
do away with the need of tree surgery
fifteen or twenty years hence. The
tree surgeons must realize that II they
make fresh injuries in the living bark
when treating decayed portions, they
are laying the tree open to more dan
gers Of infection that will result In
further decay.
Many tree surgeons use pruning
hooks and climbing spurs and cut
fresh gashes in the tree To break off
small dead branches workman may