ARBORICULTURE 



A MONTHLY MAGAZINE 



Published in the Interest of the 

 International Society of Arboriculture. 



Subscription 11.00 per annum. John P. Brown, Editor and Publisher, Connersville, Indiana. 



Entered as Second-class Matter January 4th, 1904. 



Volume V. 



Connersville, Indiana, March, 1906. 



Number 3. 



The Catalpa Tree for Cross Ties. 



In July, 1904, we printed the report of 

 Mr. F. I. Brown, Lumber Agent of the 

 Pennsylvania Railway, who, as Chairman 

 of the Committee on Roadway and Bal- 

 last, made an exhaustive investigation of 

 the Catalpa tree, visiting the Catalpa ex- 

 hibit at St. Louis, then going to the 

 Wabash Valley, where he found the trees 

 which have been so often mentioned in 



ArBORICUIvTURE. 



There have been so many requests for 

 copies of this report, and the issue having 

 been long ago exhausted, we reprint the 

 report for the benefit of very many who 

 did not receive that number of Arbori- 

 culture; : 



CATALPA TREES FOR RAILROAD 



CROSS TIES. 



This subject originated through a ref- 

 erence of Mr. Turner, Third Vice Presi- 

 dent, under the date of Nov. 20, 1902, 

 calling attention to letter written by Mr. 

 J. P. Brown, editor of Arboriculture. 

 and the question was referred to the 

 C^Cl Chairman of the Roadway and Ballast 

 rn Committee for investigation and report. 



CO 



IBRARY 

 EW YORK 

 ^iOTANICAL 

 GARDEN. 



INVESTIGATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 



* 



There are at least two distinct varieties 

 of Catalpa trees indigenous to the 

 United States. We have also the Japa- 

 nese variety, and many hybrids. Bignoni- 

 oides, the Southern variety, is the most 

 common, growing naturally in all of the 

 Southern States and much cultivated as a 

 lawn tree throughout the North. Owing 

 to its prevalence the opinions of most of 

 us relative to the value of Catalpa trees 

 for cross ties and other commercial pur- 

 poses are naturally, but erroneously, 

 formed from our familiarity with this va- 

 riety, which from its low growth and 

 spreading habit is totally worthless as a 

 timber tree. 



Catalpa speciosa, the native forest tree 

 of the lower Wabash Valley, is entirely 

 distinct, a much superior variety, and is 

 the only form of the species Jkvhich should 

 be cultivated for any purpose. All other 

 forms should be avoided. 



The value of this tree was known to the 

 early settlers of that region, who pre- 

 ferred it for almost every purpose for 

 which wood is used, even covering the 

 roofs of their houses with shingles split 

 from Catalpa trees. It was extensively 

 used for cross ties and telegraph poles in 



