FENCE POSTS OF THE FUTURE. 215 



the year and sometimes tlie frost catches the tree unripe and 

 the tops are injured. The tree never dies, but the tops are 

 injured. The plantations that 1 am acciuainted witli in the 

 eastern portion of the state have not suHered very materially 

 from freezing. They have grown well and are doing well. On 

 good soil those trees are doing well, and are large enough now 

 for telephone poles. On tiiin land in our county the growth 

 is rather slow and the results are not as satisfactory. Indi- 

 cations are that those trees ought to be planted on soil rea- 

 sonably fertile and be given room to develop in. Under such 

 conditions I would regard it as the most favorable tree to 

 plant for fence posts and telephone x>oles, 



A Member: AVhat kind was that? 



Mr. Stephens : The Speciosa. It is generally agreed that 

 Ave should have the Speciosa. Some years ago Honorable 

 Robt. Douglas had a plantation at Arliugtou, Kansas. He 

 was not particular with his seed at first and gathered it 

 largely in the middle districts where these trees grow too late 

 in the fall, so they killed ])ack and he plowed them up and be- 

 gan over again, giving particular care to the seed. All the 

 nurserymen of my acquaintance are very careful in their se- 

 lection of seed ; they are all endeavoring to plant Speciosa. I 

 understand that there is a hyl)rid whicli is known by having 

 a great many pea-like pods. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Marshall : We have one of tJie leading fruit growers 

 from Hamburg, Iowa, here and I want to call for Mr. A. A. 

 Simons, of Hamburg, Iowa, to speak to us. 



Mr. Simons: Mr. President and Members: If I had 

 known what I should get here I should probably have gone 

 down stairs. I don't know what 1 can give you in the way of 

 information. We have been in the fruit business for the last 

 fifteen or sixteen years and have made enough out of it for 

 our bread and butter. There is no trouble at all to make a 

 good living out of it. This season we had very good success, 



