Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-03-01
CARE OF SHADE TREES.
Treatment of Wounds to Prevent En-
trance of Decay-PrOducing
Germs.

The best time to attend to several
important operations connected with
the proper care of shade trees is dur
ing the late fall or early winter. This
work may be done at this season of
the year, however, when weather con-
ditions permit
Large, dead, decaying, or unsightly
limbs may be removed. The best way
to do this is to saw one-quarter or
One-third through the limb from the
under side, at point inches or a
foot beyond the point where the final
cut is to be made. A second cut on
the upper side should be continued
until the limb falls. The first cut on
the under side is to prevent the split
ting or stripping of the outer wood
and bark as the limb falls, something
which almost invariably happens when
a heavy limb is removed by a single
cut from the upper side. This leaves
a stub several inches long which must
now be sawed off close to the trunk,
or close to the larger supporting
limb, as the case may be. The stub
| should be held in place until complete
! ly severed. The final cut should be
made so that it's surface will conform
as nearly as possible to the shape of
the supporting limb or trunk No pro-
i jecting stub or stump should be left,
as this interferes with the rapid heal
ing of the wound.
Preventing Infection of the Wounds
If the wood exposed by the final cut
I &c hos ;e re do
cay or disease, it 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
rapid healing, shellac is the best of
coverings mentioned above, but it 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
usually of secondary Importance to
that of preventing infection, asphalt
is recommended in preference to the
others, when facilities for properly
applying it are available.
| The asphalt should be applied while
hot; consequently it 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 advan-
tage of paint is that it can be OBJ
tanned almost anywhere and in cOlOrs
that will conform to that of the nor
NAL bark, and thus be less conspicu-
Gus than either tar, asphalt, or shell
lac when applied to wound. A mix
ture of about three parts coal tar and
one part creosote has proved very eff
ficient, and is easily applied with an
cases it is advisable to repaint with
clear coal tar after a few days, in or
der to make a more lasting water
proof covering.
Prior to painting, tarring, or as
phalting a wound many persons apply
an antiseptic wash of one part of cor
rOsive sublimate in 1000 parts Of
water, or a moderately blue solution
Of copper sulphate (blue stone, blue
vitrioD or creosote. A special anti
septic wash is not necessary, how
ever, when the tar and creOsote mix
ture mentioned above, is used. A pre-
liminary antiseptic coating should al
ways be used when decayed matter
has been removed, or when covered
in the first place. When cracks APP
pear they should Immediately be filled,
and the whole surface reprinted with
tar, paint, or asphalt) in order to
prevent, as far as possible, the en-
trance Of Observation-Disclosures pnrmS