262 TEANSACTIONS OF THE HOETICULTUEAL 



each way, it takes forty-eight trees. This makes one acre worth, in 

 one hundred years, 84,800; ten acres in the same ratio will be worth 

 ^48,000; one hundred acres will be worth §480,000, and one thou- 

 sand acres will be worth 84,800,000. This arithmetical calculation, 

 carried out from one acre to one thousand acres, looks fabulous, but 

 figures will not lie, and so we must take the dose, bulky as it seems to 

 be. The hardy catalpa is a flowering, ornamental tree, of very rapid 

 growth, and makes the most durable wood that we have for fence 

 posts, railroad ties, telegraph poles, piles, and like timbers. It is not 

 a root, but is a stump-sprouting tree, and can be cut off every ten, 

 fifteen or twenty years, reproducing itself each time very rapidly. 



We are now convinced that the black locust is to occupy a con- 

 spicuous place among the forest trees of America. Once we thought 

 it was to be entirely destroyed by the borers, but of late years they 

 do not disturb it much. The locust is peculiarly adapted to the 

 washy ravines of our country, and also to the broken or mountain- 

 ous parts of the United States — in fact, is hardy wherever any other 

 tree will grow. It is a root sprouting tree, and, like the hardy cat- 

 alpa, reproduces itself and is a most valuable wood for such purposes 

 as railroad ties, fence posts, etc. 



The American black cherry is a rapidly growing tree, the timber 

 being of well known value for cabinet-making purposes. The fruit 

 is also valuable as a feed for birds. 



The osage orange is a highly valuable timber on account of its 

 great durability of wood, which is used in the manufacture of wagons 

 and agricultural machinery, as well as for fuel. 



The burr oak is another of our useful forest trees. The timber 

 is quite durable, while the nuts for feeding hogs, sheep and deer are 

 almost as good as corn. 



The shell-bark hickory is a tough and hard timber. The 

 nuts will always sell, and the wood is the most valuable timber for 

 fuel there is in America. 



The timber of the pecan tree is similar to that of the hickory, 

 the nuts having also great commercial value. 



The hard maj)le has no equal as an ornamental tree for ])arks, 

 streets, and lawns, while the sap is unequaled in the manufacture of 

 sugar and syrups. The lumber is largely employed in the laying of 

 hard wood floors and for cabinet purposes, the wood coming next in 

 value to hickory for fuel. 



White ash is another valuable timber in the line of flooring and 

 the making of agricultural machinery. The black birch is a tree 

 which is coming very rapidly into notice, being so completely hardy 

 that it can be grown in the coldest portions of the Union, or as far 

 north as the hardiest varieties of pine will grow. The wood is as 

 dark-colored as mahogany and puts on as smooth a polish, judging 

 from the reports which are being made in its favor. (It would be 

 well for our foresters to look after this new acquisition to the list of 

 our valuable American forest trees.) 



