ARBORICULTURE 



105 



AN IMJiA-NA ( AlALl'A ^I'l.t iUSA. 

 Showing babit of growth. No necessity for crowding. 



A tree grown in the streets of Conners- 

 ville, Ind., was given the writer. It 

 was made into a desk by the Rowlett 

 Desk Company and pohshed by the Con- 

 nersville Furniture Company. This was 

 exhibited in the State House at Indian- 

 apolis for two months, being pronounced 

 the handsomest desk in the state. 



It is now used in editorial office of 

 Arboriculture. 



The tree grew in tweniy-five years, 

 becoming twenty-two inches in diameter 

 and having 250 feet b. m. lumber. 



The late E. E. Barney, the veteran car 

 builder of Dayton, Ohio, who was one of 

 the best judges of timber in America, 

 took a very great interest in the Catalpa, 

 having published an exhaustive pamph- 

 let, which is now quite rare, giving the 

 results of his investigations, experiments 

 and correspondence, upon the subject. 



Many railway officials in early days ex- 

 perimented with Catalpa trees, the testi- 

 mony of several being quoted in this 

 booklet. Mr. Barney spent several thou- 

 sand dollars in painstaking research and 

 dcmoiistratcd the value of this wood to 

 railway interests. 



The late Robert Douglas of Wauke- 

 gan. 111., also expended a large sum 

 in similar investigations and was thor- 

 oug'hly imbued with the importance of 

 the Catalpa to commerce. 



URGING UPON THE GOVERNMENT AND COR- 

 PORATIONS THE PLAN OF EXTENSIVE 

 PLANTATIONS OF CATALPA. 



The late Dr. John A. Warder made 

 the subject one of deep study, advocated 

 the growing of this timber and planted 

 manv Catalpa trees. 



Mr. H. H. Hunnewell, a wealthy gen- 

 tleman of Wellesley, Mass., planted a 

 square mile of Catalpa timber near Far- 

 lington, Kan., Robert Douglas & Son 

 contracting to furnish and plant the trees 

 — 2,000 per acre — or one and a quarter 

 million trees. The planting began in 

 1879, Mr. Hunnewell at that time being 

 65 years of age. 



Unfortunately this experiment has 

 been a total failure on account of entire 

 want of attention. After twenty-two 

 years the trees are but little larger than 

 they were when six years old — as Mr. 

 Robert Douglas' report shows, 2,000 trees 

 per acre cannot develop. (See page 209.) 



In a state of nature, where time is no 

 object, a thousand years as but a day, a 

 long struggle takes place between the 

 stronger and weaker trees, both robbing 

 the others ; eventually a sufficient num- 

 ber succeed by destroying the remainder. 



Where dollars are the object and time 

 of great importance, as in an artificial 

 forest, these surplus trees should be de- 

 stroyed after the object of close planting 

 has been attained, namely, an upright 

 trunk free from side branches to a great 



