46 



ARBORICULTURE. 



to St. Louis, made of cement concrete, 

 weighing three hundred pounds, and 

 broken in twain on its arrival at the Fair 

 grounds. 



"Catalpa enthusiasts in some cases state 

 tliat a planter may expect to tiarvest every 

 fifteen years, on various kinds of soil, five 

 ties per tree, besides fence posts and other 

 materials, but strangely enough, though there 

 are Catalpa plantations of an age of thirty 

 years and more, and owned by railways, no 

 ties have so far been cut from such planta- 

 tions, nor are there records that any planta- 

 tions so far have produced material in suf- 

 ficient quantity and of a size suitable for this 

 purpose." 



These professional scientists in forestry 

 have always insisted in planting trees 4x4 

 feet, 2,722 trees on an acre of land, only 

 space enough for rose bushes, sixteen 

 square feet of surface for each. 



It was through this insistance upon 

 such close planting that the plantations 

 quoted have been retained for thirty years 

 without making any growth, and when 

 cleared last year were all sold for fence 

 posts. It was scientific obstruction en- 

 tirely which prevented these plantations 

 from making timber suitable for cross- 

 ties. 



Within one mile of these plantations 

 were many Catalpa trees which were of 

 ample size to make five cross-ties, al- 

 though they were not as old as the groves 

 quoted, but they were not limited to six- 

 teen square feet space. 



The editor of Arroricui<turu, who is 

 the target of Barnacle's wrath, has plainly 

 stated that in the warm regions of the 

 Mexican Gulf trees could be grown in 

 fifteen years of sufficient size to pro- 

 duce five cross-ties, and there is abundant 

 proof for the assertion. 



Farther north tree growth is slower, 

 and it will require longer time to grow. 



"The rapid growth of Catalpa into mate- 

 rial suitable for cross-ties has been greatly 

 overestimated, and it is questionable if under 

 ordinary conditions it will ever prove to be 

 of as great value for railroad ties and similar 

 material as many other woods, especially if 

 the latter are impregnated." 



Barnacle here gives himself away. 

 Who knows but he is the agent for some 

 wood-preserving patent and opposes the 

 use of catalpa because it is made antisep- 

 tic by nature, and needs no other chemi- 

 cal impregnation to make it enduring. 



Chicago, IUv, Dec. 28, 1905, 



Mr. John P. Broivn: 



My Dear Sir: — I have had the ques- 

 tion raised as to the merit of Catalpa 

 lumber secured from a quickly growing 

 tree. Will you not kindly advise me in 

 this regard — that is, what is the compar- 

 ative value of the wood of slow and rapid 



growing trees ? 



W. T. A. 



CoNNERSviLLE, Ind., Dec. 29, 1905. 



Mr. W. J. A.: 



Dear Sir: — In reply to your inquiry 

 of the 28th, I would say: It is a well- 

 known fact that second-growth timber, 

 which is merely that very rapid growth 

 which succeeds the clearing away of an 

 old forest, while yet the soil is rich 

 from long accumulation of leaf mold and 

 mosses, and before these have been dis- 

 sipated after many years' cultivation, is 

 far more elastic, firmer, much harder and 

 tenacious than the old wood which has 

 grown slowly. Instance ax and other 

 handles. These are never made from old 

 brash wood, but are invariably made from 

 young, second-growth hickory, pecan, ash 

 and similar woods. 



The same positive rule governs Catalpa 

 spcclosa. In an old, dense forest this tree 

 grows slowly, because it can not obtain 



