. Conservation. Forests and forestry. TREE SURGERY AS A SCIENCE 537 the splitting crotch, which to his skilled eye often presents a serious clanger which the casual observer would never suspect. It is perfectly natural for the weak crotch to exist in some trees; the varieties most subject to this weakness are the elm, the soft maples, the lin- den, and the beech. It is sometimes found in other varieties, but more sel- dom. It may be caused by cutting back the leader and forcing out the two lat- eral buds when the tree is young. Its heavy winds and the consequent admis- sion of more water. All
. Conservation. Forests and forestry. TREE SURGERY AS A SCIENCE 537 the splitting crotch, which to his skilled eye often presents a serious clanger which the casual observer would never suspect. It is perfectly natural for the weak crotch to exist in some trees; the varieties most subject to this weakness are the elm, the soft maples, the lin- den, and the beech. It is sometimes found in other varieties, but more sel- dom. It may be caused by cutting back the leader and forcing out the two lat- eral buds when the tree is young. Its heavy winds and the consequent admis- sion of more water. All this while the tree continues to heal on the outside, making the pouch more extensive. The operation continues until one of the branches becomes too heavy to be longer supported, and is torr off in a windstorm. The method devised by Mr. Davey for the treatment of such cases is most effective. It consists of the chain and lag-hook, VN^ith the ad- dition, in serious cases, of a double-. THE CHAIN AND LAG-HOOK SYSTEM Weak Crotches Made Secure. Maple on Estate of George Lauder, Jr., Greenwich, Conn. treatment is complicated, and demands the utmost care, especially in the ad- vanced stages. When the limbs have attained a sufficient size and weight, the swaying in the wind causes a slight splitting between the diverging branches. Water is thus admitted and starts the process of decay. Although the tree seeks to protect itself by heal- ing over the outside of the crack, it merely forms a pouch for the water, and the decay continues with increasing rapidity, because the tree becomes weaker by the repeated splitting in the headed bolt between the branches, and bolts through the sides of the water- pouch. The chains and lag-hooks are used in many cases for their preventive value. It is invariably the rule where trees of this kind are treated, to tap the pouch between the limbs, and pre- serve an opening by means of one or more drain-tubes. The split itself is caulked in such a manner tha
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