ARBORICULTURE 



107 



Several Catalpa cross-ties were placed 

 in the C. C. C. & St. L., CairO' division, 

 in 1879, one of which was taken out last 

 summer (1899), having been in constant 

 use for twenty years. 



Mr. J. W. Cowper. engineer mainte- 

 nance of way, officially reports of this tie 

 as follows : "This Catalpa tie, taken out 

 of the track three miles north of Harris- 

 burg, was put in in 1879, in mud ballast. 

 The wood is perfectly solid, shovving very 

 little signs of decay. * * * With 

 tie plates and good ballast, those ties 

 would, I think, without doubt last fully 

 thirty to thirty-five years." 



Mr. Cowper furnished the author with 

 a half of this tie, who had part of it 

 sawed into boards and a frame made and 

 finished to determine its value as a furni- 

 ture wood. 



In appearance it resembles white wal- 

 nut, Juglans cinerea, also similar in text- 

 ure. It is as easily wrought as white 

 pine : the polish which it receives places 

 the Catalpa upon a plane with walnut, 

 cherry and our finest cabinet woods. 



Suel Foster, Muscatine, Iowa, cut a 

 tree of his own planting, at 20 years from 

 the seed ; it measured 21 inches across the 

 stump. 



STRENGTH OF THE CATALPA. 



It has been customary for farmers 

 where this tree abounds to use the young 

 poles for repairing agricultural imple- 

 ments, where strength, combined with 

 lightness and durabilty, was desirable. 

 Plow beams, single and double trees, 

 handles of various tools have been made, 

 continuing long in use, where oak had 

 been broken. , 



I saw a three-horse evener in Kansas, 

 made from a four-inch Catalpa pole, 

 v.hich was being used for the third sea- 

 son, serving the purpose admirably. Two 

 eveners of oak had been previously 

 Ijroken in the same service — proving the 

 practical utility of the Catalpa. 



The iimiioisity of the demands for tim- 

 ber 'by railroads may be realized from the 

 following figures : 



There are in use to-day 780,000,000, cross-ties 



Annually required for renew- 

 als 112.00n,0(tO cross-ties 



Expended annually for ties. .$60,000,000 



Number required during tlie 



next two decades 3,000,000,000 cross-ties 



A C.VT.VLl'A HOAltl) WKLL TKA V ICl.Kl), 



Having been exhibited to railway officials in all llic 



great cities of Anierica. 



