90 



AMERICAN FORl'STRY 



from surface scales. The leaves are 8 to 14 inches long, 

 and consist of smooth-marpncd oval leaflets, each about 

 one-half inch in length, arranged in pairs on the sides of 

 the leaf stems with a single leaflet at the tip. At night 

 the leaves droop to prevent excessive evaporation of 

 moisture from the leaf- 

 surface. A little lad 

 who had noted this 

 habit, once objected to 

 going to bed early be- 

 cause the locust leaves 

 "had not yet said their 

 prayers." 



Two little spines at 

 the base of the locust 

 leaf-stalk take the place 

 of leaf-like ap])endages 

 found at this point on 

 many other kinds of 

 trees. These prickles 

 are stout and sharp, 

 lilce those on the stems 

 of rose bushes, and help 

 to protect the tender 

 leaves from browsing 

 animals. A hairy cavity 

 between these spines 

 contains 3 or 4 tiny buds 

 so small that they may 

 easily pass unnoticed 

 during the winter, but 

 they enlarge in the 

 spring and become 

 plainly visible. Only 

 one bud at a time de- 

 velops into a shoot; if 

 this shoot is killed, an- 

 other bud starts to 

 grow. Thus Nature 

 enables the locust 

 trees to replace twigs and branches which are fre- 

 quently lost through damage by cattle, wind or insects, 

 and this fact accounts, in part, for the scraggly appear- 

 ance of many old trees. 



The glory of the black locust is in May or June, when 

 masses of creamy white blossoms transform even the most 

 unsightly tree into a bower of beauty and perfume. The 

 flowers resemble those of the garden pea in size and shape, 

 and are borne in drooping clusters, 4 or 5 inches long. 

 Usually, they appear after the leaves, and the bright 

 green foliage furnishes a rich setting for the exquisite 

 blossoms. By the end of summer, each flower has matured 

 into a thin, dark brown pod, 2 to 4 inches long, half an 

 inch wide, enclosing 4 to 8 flattened, smooth, brown 

 seeds. These seeds may be sown in the fall, but a better 

 plan is to store them in a cool, dry place over winter, 

 and sow them in the spring, after danger of frost is past. 

 Unless water heated nearly to the boiling point (from 

 160° to 180° F.) is poured over them at this time, and 

 the seeds then allowed to soak for some hours until thev 



THE BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOMS OF BLACK LOCUST 



The glory of the black locust is in May or June, when masses of creamy, white blossoms 

 transform even the most unsightly tree into a bower of beauty and perfume. The flowers 

 generally appear after the leaves, and the bright green foliage furnishes a rich setting for 

 the exquisite blossoms. 



swell, many of the seeds are apt to lie donnanl uiuil the 

 following year. Treated in this manner and immediately 

 sowed in rich, fresh soil, the seeds germinate well and 

 the young trees are frequently from two feet to six feet 

 high at the end of the first season's growth. 



No other broad-leaf 

 tree, except the chest- 

 nut, compares with the 

 black locust in its abil- 

 ity to send up vigorous 

 and abundant sprouts. 

 These sprouts spring 

 principally from the 

 roots when a tree is cut 

 down, and they are also 

 produced whenever the 

 roots of standing trees 

 are cut or injured. At 

 one time it was cus- 

 tomary to plant rows of 

 black locust trees about 

 50 feet^ apart, and the 

 following year plow fur- 

 rows three feet from the 

 rows. Locust sprouts 

 would spring up along 

 the edges of the fur- 

 rows, and by repeating 

 this process each year 

 it is claimed that a 

 thrifty plantation was 

 secured at little cost. 

 The sprouts are some- 

 times so nvimerous and 

 fonn such dense thick- 

 ets, that the trees can- 

 not make a good 

 growth. It is difficult to 

 destro}^ a black locust 

 plantation even though 

 the trees arc uprooted, since small roots that break off 

 send up abundant sprouts. 



Black locust develops rapidly when young, growing 2 to 

 4 feet in height and one-fourth to one-half inch in diameter 

 3'early, but its rate of growth begins to slacken when it 

 is 15 or 20 years old. It thrives on moist fertile soils, 

 such as river bottoms and coves or ravines in the moun- 

 tains, and it ajjpears to have especial health and vigor 

 on soils well supplied with lime. It will also do well on poor 

 soils, such as sandy land or rocky slopes — in fact, almost 

 any soil except a wet, heavy, sour soil is adapted to it. 



Foresters in Hungary have said that "the locust has 

 been discovered in America especially for the Hungarian 

 plain." Dr. GifTord states that in Europe the black 

 locust is free from its greatest enemy in America — the 

 locust borer. This insect riddles the trunks and iDranches 

 of black locusts; if it does not kill them outright, it re- 

 tards their growth and causes them to break and become 

 worthless. Individual trees may be protected from this 

 insect by soap emulsions or lime washes, applied to the 



