ARBORICULTURE 



85 



pine, the wood which is now taking the 

 place of oak for many purposes, as the 

 latter timber has become so scarce, grows 

 very slowly, requiring from seventy-five 

 to one hundred and fifty years to mature. 

 The same slow rate of growth prevails 

 with all the woods which are recognized 

 as being of value in the manufactures. 

 The tropic timbers, v/hich have been so 

 highly exploited as productions of the 

 Philippine Islands, and also of Cuba, Cen- 

 tral America, etc., are of most extreme 

 slowness in growth, often from five hun- 

 dred to one thousand years maturing. 



A VAI^UABLE TRUE. 



In presenting to the world an American 

 forest tree which matures in a fraction 

 of the time required by the commercial 

 woods of the world, and is so durable as 

 to outlast from five to ten successions of 

 other woods, and to be equal or superior 

 to them in many qualities which give 

 value to timber and lumber, it is not to be 

 wondered that railways, land owners and 

 farmers should accept the proof of which 

 this society has adduced, and taking 

 advantage of the knowledge and informa- 

 tion given by its management, plant trees 

 in large numbers for the production of 

 cross-ties and car building. 



But the influence of this organization 

 does not stop here ; it extends to the far- 

 thermost portion of the earth. Trees and 

 seed which the society has supplied has 

 produced forests in Australia, New Zea- 

 land, Japan, Korea, Honolulu, Mexico, 

 Central and South America, France, Ger- 

 many, Italy and Great Britain. 



In all these countries the Catalpa spe- 

 ciosa has proved successful, as reported 

 by the members of the society in these 

 various countries. 



What seems marvelous is that an al- 

 most totally unknown tree indigenous to 



a small portion of Indiana and unknown 

 elsewhere, until distributed recently, 

 should be to all appearance so universal 

 in its ability to adapt itself to various soils 

 and climatic conditions, growing now 

 forty degrees latitude south of the equator 

 to forty-five degrees north latitude. 



The persistent research of one man in 

 the face of strong opposition for many 

 years has accomplished this achievement. 



Prof. Asa Gray and many renowned 

 botanists have been mistaken in describ- 

 ing the Catalpa speciosa, and have not 

 understood it, for the reason that original 

 trees are small in number and circum- 

 scribed in locations, while many thou- 

 sands of ^atalpa bignonioides have been 

 distributed, as well as innumerable hy- 

 brids, throughout Europe and America, 

 which have misled experts everywhere. 



Catalpa speciosa is a tall, upright forest 

 tree, of magnificent proportions, while 

 Catalpa bignonioides is of dwarf habit, 

 crooked and of unattractive appearance. 



There are records of Catalpa speciosa 

 trees that a century ago were common, 

 which measured twenty-one feet girth, 

 and reached upward one hundred and 

 fifty feet. Canoes and batteaux were con- 

 structed of single logs, which measured 

 seven feet across the beam. No one ever 

 heard of Catalpa bignonioides or hy- 

 brid trees of any size approaching these 

 records. 



The States of Ohio and Colorado have 

 taken up this matter, and have distributed 

 many thousands of trees, co-operating 

 with the International Society in this 

 work, the trees being supplied by the 

 society. The Republic of Mexico, Do- 

 minion Government of New Zealand and 

 several European countries have also re- 

 ceived seed and trees from the spciety, 

 and are making extensive experiments 

 with this American tree. 



