The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1915-01-21

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 fallen
somewhat into disrepute.
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 numerous
firms, both honest and dishonest, en-
gagged in the work. Usually tree sur
gerry is practiced in connection with
some nearly related line, but often it
Is taken up as business of itself.
When a blight such as the chestnut
bark disease infects the trees of a
district 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
affection 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.
1t 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 di-
agnose case, but whose main inter
est was to collect a good sum of mon
ey for their work.
Besides the careless filling of de-
cayed cavities In trees, there are other
practices of certain so called tree sur
geons" that do the trees more harm
than good. Many Of these surgeons"
as well as the people who employ them,
do not realize the danger arising from
fresh injuries to tree. The tree own
er should realize that prompt atten-
ton to fresh injuries will largely do
away with the need Of tree surgery
fifteen or twenty years hence. The
tree surgeons must realize that if 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 fur
Their decay.
Just as person is subject to infec
ton through cuts and scratches
trees are rendered subject to infec
ton by having their living bark torn.
Notwithstanding this. many tree sur
geOns use pruning hooks and climbing
spurs and cut fresh gashes in the tree,
To break off small dead branches
workman may use long pruning
hook as though it were club In do
ing so the hook usually causes in
jury to the young bark near by. Every
new wound may furnish a new point
Of entrance for decay, even though the
old dead branch may have been re-
moved.
The use of climbing spurs should be
particularly avoided on trees in vicini-
ties where there is a contagious in
lection. They simply render the treat
ed tree all the more liable to catch the
disease which is lin the air.
All properly equipped firms of COM
mercial surgeons should have ladders
that will reach forty or more feet
into a tree. Ladders. ropes and. rub
Der soled shoes will allow a man to
reach practically every part Reliable
estimates indicate that it takes some
what longer perhaps 25 per cent. on an
average) to do work on a, tree when
these are used instead of climbing
spurs, and this is one reason why
many firms that value remuneration
more than reputation use the spurs