THE ORCHARD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 664, 29 April 1914, Page 6

THE ORCHARD.

HOW TO SAVE TREES,

In every apple orchard of mature trees are individual trees which are in imminent danger of Bplitting apart osing to a mechanically weak formation at union of trunk and body limbs. Muny such trees have been ruined and others are finding their way io the wood pile. By a proper system of trussing between opposing body limbs this danger ia entirely obviated and the tree made stronger than others not trussed though normally formed. A seam, it not already a fissure, extending downwards from top of trunk, indicates the weak tree which if attended to promptly will be saved from disaster and an untimely end.

Again, many trees contain bird holes or openings into body limbs or trunk as a result either of careless or ignorant pruning, failure to treat the larger wounds with paint, or from mechanical injuries as by storma or by wagon or implement. All Buch openings are a menace to the tree and endanger its usefulness and longevity. Here is where a Byßtem of tree conservation or forestry should be adopted, which co.:Bists of "filling" all hollows. Thiß is done by first preparing the "cavity" with chisel and mallet through the excavation of all decayed wood, and plugging same with concrete made by a formula of four parts sharp sifted sand to one part of Portland cement. It requires skill and experience to this work well and if the orchardist haß much of this work to be done he had better hire a trained practical forester or "tree doctor." Souhh cavitieß or hollows if untreated are the beginning of the end because decay is progressive, even though in some easea the callus may have grown over and sealed up the opening, for unless the infection be removed the process of decay continues.