44 



ARBORICULTURE 



Professional Obstructionists, 



A writer in a "professional forestry 

 paper" in New York, ashamed to ac- 

 knowledge his article, but signs it "B," 

 probably meaning Barnacle, makes a vio- 

 lent attack upon the Catalpa, showing 

 wonderful ignorance and great malice in 

 his production. 



The editor of the Ithaca publication, by 

 printing an unsigned paper, thus giving 

 his indorsement, is one whose opportuni- 

 ties during the past quarter of a century 

 have been greater than those of any other 

 person in North America, yet has never 

 created any new woodlands nor caused the 

 perpetuation of any of America's superb 

 forests. 



The article begins : 



"More than one hundred years ago, when 

 the fear of a timber famine agitated the 

 people of Germany, we find among many sug- 

 gestions of relief offered a pamphlet entitled, 

 'The Catalpa a Sure Means of Avoiding the 

 Wood Famine.' History seems to repeat 

 itself, and we seem destined to pass through 

 the same phases of development as other 

 nations, even in this particular." 



One hundred years ago the Catalpa 

 speciosa had not been discovered by the 

 pioneers of the Northwest Territory, and 

 was totally unknown in Europe or any 

 locality except the very restricted regions 

 about the lower Wabash Valley, it being 

 not until 1818 that General William 

 Henry Harrison found it at Vincennes, 

 Ind., and sent a few trees to his home 

 near Cincinnati, O. 



And, further, it was not until sixty 

 years later that Dr. John A. Warder dis- 

 covered the difiference in our American 



varieties of catalpa and gave the name 

 speciosa to the Indiana tree. 



Japan at that period was a closed book, 

 and Catalpa kempferii from that empire 

 was also unknown to Europe. 



In 1586 Sir Walter Raleigh took Ca- 

 talpa hignonioides from North Carolina, 

 then part of Virginia, to London, and it 

 was planted by Sir Francis Bacon in the 

 Garden of Gray's Inn (See Arboricul- 

 ture for November, 1905, page 254, also 

 page 287.) From this stock many trees 

 were distributed to Germany and other 

 European countries. 



Thus the only variety of Catalpa known 

 to the world when this German pamphlet 

 was printed was the Southern or Catalpa 

 bignonioides, a tree entirely useless for 

 economic purposes. 



Continuing, Barnacle says : 



"The wood of the Catalpa has been cred- 

 ited with having great durability in contact 

 with the ground, combined with rapid growth, 

 and on that account the planting of this tree 

 for the production of railroad ties, fence 

 posts, and like material, has been frequently, 

 and in some cases persistently, advocated. 

 Like all things which possess numerous good 

 qualities, Catalpa has added to the ranks of 

 her ardent admirers many persons who, on 

 account of their superficial knowledge of this 

 tree and its real value, are carried away by 

 the striking good qualities possessed by the 

 wood, and have entirely overlooked its limi- 

 tations, advising its use for certain purposes 

 to which it is but little adapted." 



This is admirable for a person who 

 does not even know the Catalpa speciosa, 

 never saw one in the forest, and is totally 

 ignorant of its characteristics. Superficial 

 knowledge is good. 



