The Republican journal., 1916-02-17
Care Of Shade Trees.
Method of Pruning and Treatment of
Wounds to Prevent Entrance of Decay
Producing Germs.

Method of Pruning and Treatment of
Wounds to Prevent Entrance of Decay
Producing Germs.
The best time to attend to several i'm
portant operations connected with the
proper care Of shade trees is during the
late fall or early winter. This work may
be done at this season of the year, how
ever, when weather conditions permit.
j Large dead, decaying, or unsightly
s 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 6 inches or foot beyond
the point where the final cut is to be
made. A second cut on the upper side
should be made half inch or more back
of or beyond the first one. The saving
on the upper side should be continued
until the limb falls. The first cut on the
under side is 10 prevent the splitting or
stripping of the outer wood and bark as
the limb falls, something which almost
invariably happens when heavy limb is
removed by single cut from the upper
side. This leaves a stub several inches
long which must now be sawed off close
! to the trunk, or c.ose to the larger sup
porting limb, as the case may be. The
Sub should be held in place until COM
! pletely severed. The final cut should be
made so that it's surface will conform as
nearly as possible with the shape of the
supporting limb or trunk. No projecting
| stub or stump should be left, as this in
terferes with the rapid healing Of the
wound.
Preventing Infection of Wounds.
| If the wood exposed by the final cut is
healthy and there is no trace of decay or
disease, it should las soon as the surface
is dry Immediately be painted with shell
/ lac, good lead paint, tar, or asphalt. in
order to prevent the entrance of decay
producing organisms. 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 the
coverings mentioned above, but it is much
less durable. On the other hand, asphalt
is the most durable when properly ap-
piled, 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
TO that of preventing infection, asphalt
|
! others, when facilities for properly ap.
t plying 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 de.
: stroy bristles. Because this method can
not ordinarily be handled conveniently by
most people, coal tar has come to be the
! most generally used preparation for
covering large pruning wounds. while
good lead paint is close second. One
advantage of paint lie that it can be OBJ
tanned almost anywhere and in colors
| that will conform to that of the normal
bark, and thus be less conspicuous than
either tar, asphalt, or shellac when ap-
! piled to wound. A mixture of about
three parts coal tar and one part creosote
has proved very efficient, and is easily
applied with an ordinary paint brush,
but in many cases it is advisable to re-
paint with clear coal tar after a few
days, in order to make more lasting
| waterproof covering.
Prior to painting, tarring, or asphalting
q wound many persons apply an antisep-
tic wash of one part of corrosive subj.
mate in 1000 parts of water, or moder-
| ately blue solution of copper sulphate
(blue stone, blue vitrioD or creosote. A
special antiseptic wash is not necessary,
however, when the tar and creosote mix
ture, mentioned above, is used. A pre-
liminary antiseptic should always be used
when decayed matter has been removed,
or when decay was known to have been
present only short distance from the
final ut;also when the tree is susceptible
! to a 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
neg lect to keep watch of the work from
year to year. In single season cracks
or checks will often appear in the painted
area, especially if the wound was not
carefully covered in the first place.
When cracks appear they should i'm.
mediately be filled, and the whole surface
reprinted with tar, paint, or asphalt) ir
order to prevent, as far as possible, the
entrance of decay producing 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 addi
ton to the usual treatment. This can be
|
bulated below, in the order mentioned:
a. Trim the wound so that it's surface
will be approximately straight Lint
lengthwise of the limb or trunk. Cross
wise the surface may be fiat in small
wounds, or curved in large ones to con
form with the general contour of tn.
limb or trunk.
(2) Paint the edges of the bark and ad
joining wood with shellac immediately
after making the final cut, or at least al
soon as the surface is sufficiently dry.
| 81 Apply an antiseptic wash to the re
mainder of exposed wood.
(NTrim a piece of tin, zinc. or THU
sheet iron so as to fit closely over thu
wood of the wound. though not sufficient
ly large by sixteenth or an eighth
of an inch on all sides to reach the
thin layer of living tissue 1.-THE cambium)
between the bark and wood.
(5) As soon as the shellac is dry. pain
the surface of the wood that is to b,
covered by the sheet metal with hot as
phalt, taking care to cover thoroughly