Abstract
THE general public probably expresses more sentiment upon the beauty of large trees than upon any other aspect of horticulture. Yew trees may, under good conditions, live to the ripe age of a thousand years, and the oak can boast of very considerable longevity. Whilst the life of a tree must sometime come to an end, the artificial conditions of urban England often shorten its span, unless special care be taken. Mr. A. D. C. Le Sueur has recently shown (J. Boy. Hort. Soc., 61, Pt. 4, 149–159, April 1936) what steps may safely be taken to check decay. Wounds should be cut to healthy wood, treated with a light creosote fungicide, and then rendered waterproof with bitumen. Branches should be cut close to the trunk. Cavity wounds usually contain wood already decayed, and should be cleaned drastically before filling with bitumen or concrete. Artificial support may be given with cables or rods, rather than by bands. Faulty soil conditions, such as lack of nutrients, water or air, or bad drainage, frequently retard good tree growth in public parks. The paper gives many details for the treatment of such backward trees, and provides innumerable instances of scientific practice of the greatest interest.
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Care of Old Trees. Nature 138, 109 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/138109c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/138109c0