MUTILATION OF TREES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22356, 29 February 1936, Page 8 (Supplement)

MUTILATION OF TREES

RESULT OF IGNORANCE " The British love their trees, but do not understand them," remarked an eminent German forester. The great numbers of damaged and unhealthy trees to be seen in these days seems to justify the remark. Trees take a long timo to grow, and, as a rule, a long timo to die. It is largely due to tho latter fact that owners fail to realise that their trees require attention. One sees many trees with dead snags, unhealthy tops or decaying, ragged wounds from storm damage or indiscriminate lopping. Yet tho care and repair of trees is not an expensive matter, provided they a?e dealt with at once. It is only when, as is often the caso, a wound is left untreated for years that expensive treatment becomes necessary. The same is true of undamaged trees; if they are dealt with at ouce, when necessary, they havo a far greater chance of recovery than if they are allowed to stand for protracted periods, dying from the crown downward—a monument to ignoranco and misguided economy. The behaviour of that representative of the public, " the man in the street," frequently adds weight to the quotation with which this article commences. A well-known tree will stand for years full of dead branches or disease, and tho general publio will pass it by without taking any notice of it. But put clean steel to tho tree, in an endeavour to improve its health, and columns of tho press are immediately filled with indignant letters, among the signatures of

which " Treo Lover " is curiously prominent. Street trees are exposed to various types of dnmage from which garden and park trees are immune. Growing in many cases under adverse conditions, their capacity for withstanding attacks of insect pests and fungoid diseaso is lessened. In addition, it is frequently necessary to prune heavily, for, with the march of civilisation, power lines festoon our streets, and theso must be kept clear at all costs. The importance of this work is recognised in older lands, whero in every town or city of any size the trees aro controlled by specialists in arboriculture. Not every board or county council can afford to empJoy a scientificallytrained man, but it could at least utilise the services of persons experienced in arboricultural practice, with a knowledge of tree growth, capable of pruning or lopping in a satisfactory manner, and more important still, dressing the wounds after they are made. it is quite safe to say that in many cases the initial lopping is the beginning of the end for many trees, the ragged wounds being just the place for the entry of the decay-creating germs, which soon bring about the death of the treo. In most cases, the supervision of the work is left to engineers or surveyors, who cannot reasonably be expecteft to havo that training in arboriculture which is necessary. A treo is a living thing, and before attempting to lop it, repair its wounds or to improve its health it is necessary to havo some knowledge of its constitution and the way in which it grows. Not only is this knowledge necessary for those engaged in the work, but for the general public as well, so that the question, to cut or not to cut, may bo viewed with an unbiassed mind. PENTSTEMON CULTURE Few flowering plants are more useful in the late summer months than pentstemons. There are now some splen-did-named varieties which grow tall and benr large, richly-coloured blooms, whilo others, such as Newbury Gem, Southgate Gem and Mydellton Gem, are less vigorous and bear smaller flowers, All may bo propagated by cuttings now. Set them in boxes of sandy soil in a frame kept closed for a few weeks, or a bed of soil mado up in tho frame. When the cuttings have rooted and commenced to grow the tips of each should be pinched out.