Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1916-02-09

possible with the shape OF the sup
porting limb or trunk. No projecting
stub or stump should be left, rs this
interferes with the rapid healing Of
the wound
Preventing infection OF Wounds.
II the wood exposed by the final cut
is healthy and there is no trace Of de-
cay or disease, 1t should Gas soon as
the surface Is dry) Immediately be
painted with shellac, good lead paint,
tar. or asphalt, in order to prevent the
entrance OF decay.producing organ
.isms. Without some such precaution.
organisms OF this sort are practically
certain to gain entrance and cause
serious damage to the tree in later
years. From the point OF view OF rap
Id healing, shellac is the best OF the
coverings mentioned above, but 1t is
much less durable. On the other
hand, asphalt is the most durable
when properly applied. but probably
interferes with the earlier stages of
normal healing to a greater extent
than any OF the others. However, as
the rapid healing Of large scars is US
ually of secondary Importance to that
OF preventing infection, asphalt is rec
commended in preference to the others,
when facilities for properly applying 1t
are available.
The asphalt should be applied while
hot; consequently 1t is necessary to
have some apparatus for keeping it
melted. A brush of broom corn or
rope should be used, as the hot asphalt
will usually destroy bristles. Because
this method can not ordinarily be
handled conveniently by most people,
coal tar has come to be the most gen.
orally used preparation for covering
large pruning wounds. while good lead
paint is a close second. One adyant-
age OF paint is that 1t can be obtained
almost anywhere and In colors that
will conform to that of the normal
back, and thus be less conspicuous
than either tar, asphalt. or shellac
when applied to a wound. mixture
of about three parts coal tar and one
part creosote has proved very eff
ficient, and is easily applied with an
ordinary paint brush, but in many
cases it is advisable to repaint with
clear coal tar after few days, in or
der to make a more lasting waterproof
covering.
Prior to painting, tarring, or as
phalting wound many persons apply
an antiseptic wash of one part Of cor
rosive sublimate in 1000 parts Of wat
er, or a moderately blue solution Of
copper sulphate (blue stone, blue
vitrioD or creosote. A special anti
septic wash Is not necessary, however,
when the tar and creosote mixture,
mentioned above, is used. prelimi-
nary antiseptic coating should always
be used when decayed matter has been
removed, or when decay was known
to have been present only a short dis
lance from the final cut; also when
the tree is susceptible to contagious
disease which is known to be in the
vicinity.
Care Of Tree After Pruning.
Many people remove limbs from
shade trees and properly treat the
wounds, but neglect to keep watch of
the work from year to year. In a
single season cracks or checks will
often appear in the painted area, es-
pecially IL the wound was not carefully
covered in the first place. When
cracks appear they should immediate
ly be filled, and the whole surface re-.
painted with tar, paint, or asphalt) In
order to prevent, as far as possible,
the entrance of disappointing
germs
One of the best, though little used,
methods of counteracting the danger
arising from such cracks is to cover
the pruning wound with sheet metal
In addition to the usual treatment
This can be done by following the
brief directions tabulated below, in the
order mentioned:
Q) Trim the wound SO that it's
| wan NC
straight line lengthwise OF the limb or
trunk. Crosswise the surface may be
flat in small wounds, or curved in
large ones to conform with the gen.
eral contour OF the limb or trunk.
(2) Paint the edges of the bark and
adjoining wood with shellac imme.
diately after making the final cut, or
at least as soon as the surface is SUI.
ficiently dry.
(S Apply an antiseptic wash to
the remainder of the exposed wood.
(D Trim a piece of tin, zinc, or
thin sheet iron so as to tit closely
over the wood OF the wound, though
not sufficiently large by sixteenth
or an eighth OF an inch on all sides
to reach the thin layer of living tissue
1.-THE -camoium) between the bark and
wood.
i (5) AS soon as the sbellac is dry,
paint the surface Of the wood that is
to be covered by the sheet metal with
hot asphalt, taking care to cover thor
oughly every part OF It, Do not at
this time paint over the cam5ium and
. a sas