170 



ARBORICULTURE 



Hardy Catalpa is Difficult to Get 



Correstondeni Describes the Deceptions Fracticed by Seed Men 

 and Proprietors of the Niirseries 



Denver, Colo., Sept. 20. 



Editor Republican: — A letter, received a few 

 days since, from a prominent citizen of Kiowa 

 county, asks where he can get Catalpa Speciosa — 

 true to name — as he is informed that it is very 

 difficult to get the genuine. He wants 2,000 for 

 next season's setting. A gentlemen owning lands 

 in Elbert county wants a like number of the same 

 tree. Different parties are wantiug hardy catalpa 

 in consideralile quantities at Lamar, Pueblo, 

 Elizabeth, Wray and other points, and most of 

 them are finding it hard to procure the right kind. 



If pure speciosa could be obtained, and a little 

 pains taken to let the people know, it is altogether 

 probable that forty to fifty thousand could be set 

 next spring. There were 7,200 of the hardy 

 catalpa set by the agricultural station, over the 

 state, last season. Numerous private parties also 

 set various quantities, running the planting up to 

 ten or twelve thousand. By this means popular 

 attention has been so specifically called to this 

 particular tree that it is now prominent in the 

 public mind. But is it a fact that the hardy 

 catalpa is difficult to obtain? My correspondent 

 says he has been so informed and appeals to me 

 to know where he can get it true to name. 



"True to name?" What does that mean? The 

 fruit grower who orders a thousand Jonathan 

 apple trees and finds a few years later that he has 

 a thousand worthless seedlings knows what it 

 means. In every nurseryman's catalogue that 

 lists forestry trees we find "catalpa speciosa;" 

 and yet I do not know so many as five I would 

 dare to trust in this matter of hardy catalpa. 



A few nurserymen gather their own catalpa 

 seeds or have it done by experts, while most of 

 them buy their seeds of seed houses, and here is 

 where the danger lies. 



Now that this matter is up it seems proper to 

 divulge a few secrets— things not generally known, 

 and things some people would not wish to have 

 made known. But as the state agricultural ex- 

 periment station at Fort Collins has selected the 

 hardy catalpa as one of the utility trees to be 

 tested, and furnished 7,200 of them to various 

 farmers for that purpose, it is time the Colorado 

 public should be informed of some facts. 



Aboriculture magazine for some time has been 

 accusing the tree seed men of selling large quanti- 

 ties of inferior varieties of Catalpa seed for pure 

 speciosa; and the nurserymen of imposing upon 

 the public in the same fraudulent manner. The 

 charges were so open and serious, and often so 

 seemingly past belief, that 1 set out to test the 

 statements to see for myself to what extent they 

 were true. 



EIGHTY PER CENT. OK THE SEED WAS SPURIOUS 



I ordered seeds of more than a score of firms, 

 including several of the largest and best known 

 tree seed houses and nurserymen in the United 

 States. In every instance my order was for 

 Catalpa "speciosa." 



1 procured seeds of twenty-two firms. What 

 did 1 find? Were the charges true? "True?" — 

 the half had not been told by the magazine. It 

 gave no names. I had both names and seed. 



More than eighty per cent, were not true to 

 name. Seeds from old houses, reputable beyond 

 degree, well known from ocean to ocean, were as 

 bad as the worst. Not willing to depend entirely 

 on my own diagnosis, I sent samples from the 

 twenty-two lots obtained to an expert, who re- 

 ported that only four of the number were genuine 

 and pure. These four came from nurserymen 

 who gather their own Catalpa seeds, or have it 

 done by experts. 1 have all of them still. They 

 can be seen by any one at any time and identified 

 with the firms from which they came. If photo- 

 graphed they would be highly educational. By 

 them one could learn to distinguish between the 

 true and the false; of whom to buy, and of whom 

 not to buy. 



With my subject scarce begun space bids me 

 close by saying that the catalpa situation is 

 lamentable-due to ignorance, cupidity and fraud. 

 Some do not know the difference; others do not 

 seem to want to know. 



But let no Colorado man order catalpa to plant 

 without advising with Prof. W. Paddock at the 

 Agricultural college. Fort Collins. No one can 

 afford to plant inferior trees. Any assistance I 

 can render the planter, the nurseryman or seed 

 merchant to help extricate the catalpa speciosa 

 from the mire into which it has been plunged 

 will 1)6 most eagerly afforded. 



W. G. M. Stone. 



Pure Seed of Catalpa Speciosa 



Collected in original forests under my 

 own supervision, and a ver}' limited num- 

 ber of trees, all genuine. 



John P. Brown, 



Connersville, Ind. 



