Cantonement & choona

[talha.bin.ayub]

I have lived in cantonements most of my childhood (all of it actually) and they always had this thing about them- all the trees were branded their numbers or painted at their base. This trunk whitewash was a hallmark of entering cantonement precincts. I never thought good or bad about it till a few days back.
Unfortunately, some army dude in DHA also realized what was amiss in dha and fixed the trouble in his mind by getting all dha lahore trees whitewashed. I was struck by it and started thinking why they do it. It seems like waste of paint and labor. The only positive thing is that it reflects car light at night so even half-blind can make out the road sides. Maybe it's an army way of telling the ecosystem, we see each one of u.
The other day, still perplexed with this whole fiasco, I asked my dad whilst we were on my dads 54 batch army reunion at mangla cantt, the thought behind this.
The reply came in the form of an army joke, something the officers tell the javaans (soldiers), "HAR CHALTI(moving) CHEEZ KO SALUTE, AUR HAR KHARI (standing) CHEEZ KO CHUNA KARNA HAE". Apparently the idea is to decorate and keep the personnel busy.
Here are the pictures of how the pretty trees got dirty. I mean who in his right mind would paint a palm trunk white!

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[talha.bin.ayub]

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[Javed Hasan]

may be its the way to protect trees from insects like termites ?

[yawer]

I do it every year in end of December at my farm on all fruit tree trunks but mixed with copper sulphate solution for disease protection. Also if citrus canker disease then spray on leaves too as very effective.

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[M Farooq]

I think it is army's way of making the trees wear a uniform. They look nice and perhaps some crawling insects don't like it either. Nice joke anyway.

[talha.bin.ayub]

Interesting insight. Thanks.


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[talha.bin.ayub]

Cuso4 should make it blue?


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[talha.bin.ayub]

Sir choona can't repel termites.


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[Shazia Khurram]

Interesting article. I grew up in Quetta cantt and I remember most trees painted white with a red ring on top. I was told, the white part was choona to protect the trees but what the red paint on top remains a mystery [emoji4]


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[Shazia Khurram]

Something like this

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