76 



ARBORICULTURE 



change it to make the tree of much use. 

 At best, pruning can only remove the 

 branches within eight or nine feet of the 

 ground. Above that height it is entirely 

 impracticable in a commercial planta- 

 tion." 



Mr. Brown, on the contrary, declares 

 that planting closer than 8 by 8 feet will 

 not give the young trees sufficient root 

 space to afford them necessary nourish- 

 ment for a vigorous start ; that in two to 

 three years all should be cut back in 

 order to get a strong, straight sprout. In 

 eight years three-fourths of the trees 

 should be removed, leaving a stand of one 

 hundred and seventy to the acre. He 

 says that close planting is the chief cause 

 of failure of the several large Kansas 

 plantations to produce large numbers of 

 trees suitable for telegraph poles and 

 cross ties in fifteen to twenty years' 

 growth ; that experience has proven that 

 the roots of each Catalpa spcdosa tree 

 three years old requires sixteen square 

 feet surface space ; at eight years, sixty- 

 four square feet ; at sixteen years, two 

 hundred and fifty square feet; and that 

 with less space the trees are dwarfed and 

 stunted for lack of food and water ; that if 

 close planted, it requires too many years 

 for the more vigorous to overcome and 

 destroy the weaker, and thus secure suffi- 

 cient space for successful growth ; and 

 that Catalpa speciosa is upright of habit, 

 with long trunk, when sufficient space is 

 afforded to give it opportunity. 



I do not find anything in Mr. Hall's re- 

 port indicating that close planting has 

 prevented side branches. And my own 

 observation of various plantations which 

 I have visited leads me to the belief that it 

 does not. In plantations 4 by 4 feet, 

 planted eight to ten years, I found many 

 side branches sound and tenacious. Prun- 

 ing is necessary and is entirely practicable 



up to twenty or even twenty-five feet 

 from the ground, if desired. 



In looking up information for this re- 

 port it has been my object to follow prac- 

 tical lines as closely as possible. I have 

 visited various plantations, all of which I 

 found planted 4 by 4 feet or 3 by 6 feet, 

 and the results obtained were found in all 

 cases similar to those so fully reported 

 upon by Mr. Hall. I have never found a 

 tree in a close plantation which had 

 grown large enough to indicate that it 

 will pay any one to plant Catalpa trees 

 with the idea of growing timber suitable 

 for cross ties within a reasonable limit of 

 time. 



I have, however, found many trees 

 growing singly upon lawns and along 

 roadways which show a remarkable 

 growth. From many examples I will 

 give the following : Several street trees at 

 Colfax, Ind., planted twenty-six years 

 ago, have attained a growth suitable for 

 saw logs or will make several cross ties 

 to each tree. Five trees growing on a 

 lawn at Charleston, W. Va., have in thir- 

 teen years grown large enough to make 

 pole ties from each butt cut. Because of 

 their upright tendency they were cut back 

 at twelve feet from the ground, and the 

 owner informed me recently that a sprout 

 from the tree nearest his house had in five 

 years made a growth of thirty-five feet, 

 and that when he cut this sprout because 

 it towered above his roof, it was found to 

 measure six inches diameter at the base. 

 In Southern Illinois I found many Ca- 

 talpa trees still standing in the original 

 forest groves. Two large trees had been 

 recently felled, and the farmer was split- 

 ting them up for fence rails and posts. 

 This gave me an excellent opportunity to 

 measure the tree and examine the wood. 

 One tree was cut up as follows : 



One 12- ft. log, 28" diam. at butt, 18" at top. 

 One i8-ft. log, 18" diam. at butt, 14" at top. 



