[Illustration]
Nothing adds so much to the home-like appearance of a place as good
shade trees. But trees are like teeth—they need attention. Boring
insects often cause decay. The hollow becomes larger. The wind blows
the weakened tree down. The “looks” of the place is ruined. It takes at
least a lifetime to produce another such tree.
By means of concrete, many famous old trees, seemingly about gone, are
now saved. Open up the cavity with a hand-axe. With a mallet and chisel
cut out every bit of the rotten wood, and stop the flow of sap by
painting the cavity with liquid asphalt. Reinforce small cavities with
nails as shown in the photograph, larger cavities with rods, wire and
spikes. Carefully fill every crevice with a 1: 3 cement-sand mortar.
By slightly trimming the edges of the bark around the filling, once or
twice a season, the bark will grow entirely over the concrete.
[Illustration]