8o 



ARBORICULTURE 



Shawneetown, 111. ; one at East St. Louis, 

 as well as several others at various points 

 in Southern Illinois. I am not informed 

 as to the acreage of the Louisville and 

 Nashville plantations. 



The Big Four has a young plantation 

 near Indianapolis. The B. & M. and the 

 B. & A. have started plantations in New 

 England. 



The Southern Pacific has several small 

 plantations in Texas. The N. O. & N. E. 

 has several small plantations on their 

 lands in Louisiana and Mississippi. 



The Mexican Central has recently be- 

 gun a number of small plantations in 

 Mexico. 



President Diaz, of Mexico, who is 

 deeply interested in the subject, has or- 

 dered several plantations for the Govern- 

 ment of Mexico. 



All of the plantations just mentioned 

 are under the general direction and man- 

 agement of Mr. J. P. Brown, whose serv- 

 ices are free for the advancement of the 

 cause, and all are planted 8 by 8 feet. Un- 

 fortunately for the pur]:)ose of this report 

 they are of too recent planting to prove 

 what Mr. Brown's method will accom- 

 plish in producing trees for cross ties, but 

 it seems evident from the growth of the 

 street trees in various places and those 

 in farm rows, which have in twelve to 

 eighteen years attained both girth and 

 height sufficient for cross ties and poles 

 without the slightest attempt at cultiva- 

 tion, that these plantations, under careful 

 and intelligent management, will show re- 

 sults far in advance of those obtained by 

 methods of close planting, which has 

 proven a failure in every case, save in 

 producing fence posts. 



In starting a plantation it is of the 

 greatest importance to secure the right 

 seed or young plants. Neither Bignoni- 

 oides nor hybrids will produce strong, up- 



right growth, no matter which method is 

 followed. Judging entirely from what I 

 have seen, I believe that proper cultiva- 

 tion and pruning will insure good results. 



I give the following estimate of cost 

 and profit, as from Arboriculture: 



"The cost of planting will vary accord- 

 ing to local conditions. The land should 

 be such as would produce a fair crop of 

 corn : 



Bsfimatc Per Acre. 



Value of land, say $20 oo 



Preparing the land 5 00 



Six hundred and eighty trees, 8x8 feet. 5 00 



Labor, planting and cultivathig 5 oo 



Interest and taxes, eight years 40 00 



$75 00 



"At eight years three-fourths of the 

 trees should be removed, leaving perma- 

 nent trees 16 by 16 feet, or 170 per acre. 



"Each tree removed will supply two 

 first-class posts worth 10 cents each. 



"Five hundred and ten trees removed 

 make 1,020 posts, worth $100, being orig- 

 inal cost with total expenses, leaving the 

 plantation fully paid, including twenty 

 years' interest and taxes. 



"The remaining 170 trees will, by 

 twentieth year, produce 850 cross ties 

 worth, at 60 cents, $510, or 250 feet lum- 

 ber per tree, 42,000 feet b. m., which, at 

 $20 per 1,000, is $850 



"The value of the land having been 

 greatly improved, and a permanent in- 

 come insured from the continued growths 

 (as the trees are quickly renewed from 

 the stumps), equal to a capital investment 

 of $1,000 at 8 per cent interest." 



The greatest difficulty to be encoun- 

 tered in beginning a plantation is in ob- 

 taining pure seed. The following quota- 

 tion, also from Arboriculture, bearing 

 upon this point, is of interest : 



" The Southern Catalpa is much 



