The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-06-29
SAVING GIRDLED
APPLE TREES
activity OF Destructive Field Mice
Last Winter Makes II Necessary
TO Resort to Bridge Grating.

OF late years tree surgery has be-
come an art, an industry OF itself tlat
gives employment to many people.
what the expert can do in the way of
curing trees of ills that threaten
aiosolution is almost beyond belief.
Whether 1t be ornamental trees or
those from which the owner derives
an income from the fruit it bears
the tree dotcor takes them in hand
when lhey show signs of decay, or
have been permitted to lose their
symmetry and cures the one and
makes straight the Otner, giving the
one new lease of life and adding
beauty Of the other.
There has been an exhibition Of this
tree doctoring going on among the or
ehards of East Oroville during the
past few weeks that gives those who
nave seen the work a good idea of
wat can be done in that line by one
who knows how to do it. Last winter
the small field mice worked havoc
among the trees in some of the orch
ards in East Oroville. This is not the
only part Of the valley where the
small rodent has attacked fruit trees,
but we have only to do WITH those so
damaged in this immediate neigh
borhood. In some of the orchards the
owners permitted alfalfa and grass to
grow up Immediately around the
trees. In that grass the field mice
wintered and carried on their depre-
dations. The little animals lived on
the bark Of the trees, in many cases
entirely girdling the trees, and in
some instances going down even to
the roots They even attacked the
largest trees, and il no effort were
made to remedy the defect the trees
would die. But the new tangled tree
surgery has provided ways and means
for saving trees thus damaged, by
bridge grating.
W. A. CRUDE, Fred Clark and others
sufferers secured the services of r.
N. Russell, Of Omak to save the trees
from that death tnat was inevitable
unless bridge grating was applied.
Now, Mr.. Russell does not pretend to
DO an extraordinary expert at this
class Of work. True he has had exper-
ience, and to one who is not familiar
with tree surgery Mr.. Russell's meth
cd Of procedure seems like the work
Of an expert, for he performs the OPP
Grafton of bridge grating expeditions
ly and neatly. 1t hardly seems possi-
Bile that the method employed would
bring about the results expected. tnat
Of saving tree, but experience has
proved that it will with only a very
small percentage Of loss.
Bridge grating is simple enough
when you see it done. Light scions
are cut from live trees very early In
the season, and kept on ice until time
Tor using them in the grating pro-
cess in order to retain their vitality.
The CRATER carefully scrapes the
dead wood from the place where the
mice have girdled the trees. Then an
lncision Is made in the live bark DOth
above and below the girdle, the scions
cut to the proper length, the ends
trimmed down flat on one side ana
those ends inserted in the incisi0ns.
Then the cut bark is heavily coated
with wax, the ingredients Of which
are known only to the doctor or at
least so we were informed. This Is 10
Keep out the air, hold the scion IN
place and aids in the reconstructlve
process. The girdle Is surrounded
with these scions an inch or so apart.
These attached scions carry the lie
sap OF the tree across this artlficlai
bridge from the tap roots to the tree
ABOVE, the tree lives, grows and Hour
saes, and as the tree develops those
sclons gradually enlarge until they
come together, join each other ana
form a new tree trunk. In the course
OF time the only evidence that the
tree has undergone a surgical opera
ton Is corrugated swelling In the
Dole near the ground Simple, Dut
very effective and is an economical
method Of saving valuable trees, LOT
the trees operated on in East Oroviiie
orcnard tracts, in some instances
nave reached the producing stage.
As evidence that the scions VIII
i've and eventually perform the ruhc-
uon for which they were inserted Oh
some Of the first trees that Mr.. nus
sell bridged the scions are already
sprouting leaves. At the proper tilile
'hese leaves will be pinched OH. ioi
1t would be detrimental to the trees II
The scions were permitted to put forth
sprouts. 1t was very interesting te
watch Mr.. Russell and his assistant
ernest Sanborn, carrying on this worf
and after his experience t1is seaaoi
Is safe to say that young Sanpor'
VIII be as capable of doing this ciass
Oh work another year as the gehtie
man from whom he resolved ms 'h
struction.