The Red Cloud chief., 1920-12-30

Simple Treatment Saves M a
Tree surgery is comparatively sim.
pie and inexpensive and most persons
can, with little preliminary practice.
undertake the simpler types Of tree
repair work that will prove immense
ly profitable in saving fine trees. A
few fundamental principles must be
observed to secure permanently good
results.
G) Remove the dead, decayed, dis
eased or injured wood or bark. When
on limb this can often be done best
by removing the entire limb; on
large limb or on the trunk II may
mean at times digging out the decayed
matter SO that cavity is formed.
(2) Sterilize all cut surfaces.
(3) Waterproof all cut surfaces.
(4) Leave the work In the most ia
vorable condition for rapid healing;
this will often mean filling or cover
ing deep cavities.
(5) Watch the work from year to
year for defects and II any appear at
tend to them Immediately.
Removing Large Limbs.
A large limb rarely should be re-
moved by q single saw cut from the
upper side, as this usually strips the
bark and wood as II falls. A prelim-
mary cut should be made from the I'M
der side. beyond the point for the
final cut; and a second cut on the up
per side an inch or more beyond the
first one. Then cut the stub close to
the trunk. A coat Of good shellac
should be applied over the entire area
Of the bark. outer sapwoOd. and the
cambium Immediately.
Creosote should be applied to the
rest Of the exposed wood not already
covered by the shellac as a protec-
ton, and the entire shellacked and
creosoted surface should be finally wa.
terproofed with thick coal tar or as
phalt. Grating wax, particularly the
thick liquid alcoholic kind, is excel
lent for interpreting small surfaces.
Another good method Of treating the
scars Is to char the surface with a
gasoline or alcohol blast torch and
then quickly cover the hot surface
with heavy tar, pitch, or hot asphalt.
The treated surfaces should be
watched from year to year and recoat-
ed as necessary to preserve the wa
terpreOfing.
In removing small branches and
twigs the cut should be made as close
to the supporting branch as possible,
30 as to leave no projecting stub. The
pruning wound must be sterilized and
water-proofed. For very small wounds
shellac is handy.
When a wound has been allowed TO
remain untreated for year or more,
decay-prOducing organisms are almost
certain to have started an area OF de.
cay and insect activity behind the ex-
posed surface. Such regions gen.
orally require excavation OF decayed
and diseased wood and sterilizing and
waterproofng of the cut surfaces.
The tools ordinarily required are
two outside ground sOcket-handled
gouges Zone three-fOurths Of an inch
and the other IL inches), knife
mallet or hammer, and an oil
| stone Only keen edges should be
used on the bark or near the cam.
blum.
Remove Diseased Wood.
Remove all the diseased or insect
eaten or water-sOaked wood. In dis
eaSed areas of many years standing
there may be only thin shell OF
healthy wood around the cavity, In
which case the tree must he braced
or guyed. and II is often better re-
moved and replaced by healthy one
DO not leave cavity so II will re
tain water. In shaping cavity that
Is to be filled with cement, etc, have
the sides undcrcut, II possible, so rs
| To hold the filling more firmly I'm place
Inrolled bark at the edges Of the open
ing should be cut away after the de
cayed and diseased matter has beer
completely eXcavated and the edges Oi
the sapwood and bark adjoining the
cnmbium shellacked. The remainder
of the cavity also must be Sterillzed
CreosOte is recommended. Over thi,
| uehNy "atefprooi CoNtiihs SHoule
be applied.
Filling the cavity is of much less i'm
portance. Often a cavity is better left
untitled. A cavity must be watched
from year to year and any tendenc,
OF the interpreting to crack, split
or blister should Immediately be coun
teracted by repalnting,
Where sheet-metal covering Is uset
there should be narrow half-lnci
ledge Of bare wood around the edg,
70 which the margin Of the metal Cal
he tackled. The cavity must be thor
oughly sterilized and waterproofed