Rural School Leaflet 



949 



14 inches long, with 7 to 19 leaflets, making what the botanists call a com- 

 pound leaf — that is, a large leaf composed of several smaller leaflets all 

 growing from the same stem. The leaflets are i to f inch broad, about 

 1 1 inch long, and generally have a perfectly smooth edge. They are a 

 dull dark green above while the under surface is paler, and in the fall they 

 turn to a clear yellow. The flowers, which appear late in May or about 

 the first of June, are borne in loose, drooping clusters; they are creamy 

 white and very fragrant. A locust tree in full bloom is indeed a very 

 beautiful sight. 



A honey locust tree in winter 



Where the soil is good the locust tree grows very rapidly when young. 

 It puts out many roots in all directions, which seek the moisture in the 

 soil. Frequently they are so close to the surface of the ground that a 

 number of shoots are sent up. These soon grow and make a thicket of 

 young locust trees. These young trees are very attractive, but they 

 use up a great deal of the moisture in the ground. If, therefore, the old 

 tree is to grow to a good size, it is well to cut the sprouts each year and to 

 keep the ground near the parent tree clear. When a number of locust 

 trees are growing together and are all of about the same age, as in a 

 plantation, there will not be so many sprouts. 



The young locust tree grows very rapidly, and at the same time the 

 wood that it produces is hard, strong, and heavy, and is usually a pale 

 yellowish brown in color. Because it is so durable it is useful as posts, 



