HAUDY CATALPA FOR PROFIT. 209 



HARDY CATALPA FOR PROFIT. 



FEANK G. MILLER, PROFESSOR OF FORESTRY, UNn'ERSITY OF NEBRASKA.* 



Mr. C. D. Robinson, a prominent merchant at Pawnee City, Neb., has 

 recently completed a very interesting experiment in the growing of hardy 

 catalpa. In 1889, he purchased a small tract three miles northeast of 

 Pawnee City, and immediately put plans under way to plant twenty 

 acres to catalpa. 



The land is of the rolling prairie type. The soil is a sandy loam with 

 a small admixture of gravel and underlain with a clay subsoil. Seven 

 acres were planted in the spring of 1889, on ground which had been care- 

 lessly farmed for some years, and was very much run down. The 

 remaining thirteen acres were planted in the spring of 1890. This portion 

 of the tract had been in virgin prairie sod until the spring of 1889, 

 when it was broken out and allowed to stand idle until the following 

 year. The ground in both cases was put in a thorough state of cultiva- 

 tion immediately before the trees were planted. The trees, which were 

 one year old when set out, were spaced four by four feet, thus requiring 

 twenty-seven hundred and twenty-two trees per acre. The plantations 

 were cultivated the same as corn the first two years. After that no 

 further care was given them, except that a few acres were pruned several 

 years later. The plantation was always protected against fire and live 

 stock. 



The entire plantation was harvested in January and February, 1906, 

 Since seven acres were planted in the spring of 1889 and thirteen acres 

 in the spring of 1890, the average age of the grove was approximately 

 sixteen and one-third years. The owner has kept a strict account of 

 all expenses incurred in establishing, maintaining, and harvesting this 

 plantation, as well as of all proceeds, and the figures following are taken 

 from his records: 



EXPENDITURES PER ACRE. 



Plants, 2,722, at $1.15 per thousand $3 13 



Preparation of the ground, planting, cultivation, and pruning 18 46 



Total $21 59 



Interest on $21.59 for 16 1-3 years at 5 per cent compounded 26 34 



Cutting and marketing 61 90 



Total expense for growing and harvesting the plantation 



per acre $109 83 



* Since the preparation of this paper Professor Miller resigned his 

 professorship in the University of Nebraska to accept a similar position 

 in the University of Washington. His successor in Nebraska is Professor 

 F. R. Phillips, recently of the United States Forest Service. 



