1880.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



211 



great drawback to all prairie tree-planting. At an experiment. They do this because catalpa 

 the end of this time, probably in three or four ties have stood on their road entirely unaffected 

 years from the time of planting, the plantation by decay during the last twelve years, and be- 

 will be delivered over to the owner, one cent a cause this tree is so valued by the farmers for 

 tree being deducted from the final payment for fence posts that it is already jiractically extermin- 

 every tree less than 2(^X) to the acre delivered, ated in Missouri, and so not to be procured for 

 only trees at least six feet high at the time of ties, although the superintendent of the railroad 

 delivery being counted. The advantage of this is willing to pay three times as much as for the 

 plan, which is the one also adopted by the Fort best white oak ties. If the planting of trees is 

 Scott Railroad, is that the trees will be carefully good policy for a railroad running through a 

 planted and attended to by experienced men, for heavily timbered country like Missouri and Ar- 

 whose interest it will be to use the best plants, kansas, it will certainly pay for roads in Iowa, 

 and to cultivate and care for them in the best j Nebraska, Minnesota and Kansas to do the same, 

 manner, so as to be able to deliver the greatest Messrs. Douglas have adopted another important 

 number of trees in the shortest possible time, i measure at the instigation of the director of the 

 that they may get quick returns for the money I Arboretum, in order to facilitate the planting of 

 invested'in plants, planting, etc. Any plantation trees by farmers and others of small means who 

 in which the trees are six feet high, and m which ! have always found it difficult to procure a few 

 the ground is so shaded that weeds and stray : trees on reasonable terms, is the sending out of 

 natural grasses cannot grow, is safe, and will re- dollar packages by mail, post-paid, and contain- 

 quire no further attention until the time comes ; ing each from seventy-five to one hundred forest 

 for thinning out the trees for fence posts, etc. trees. There is little profit in this branch of the 

 The plan relieves the owner of the great risk al- business directly, as the postage and the cost of 

 ways attending the early years of a plantation, . packing amounts to about fifty cents, but it helps 

 and makes his investment practically safe. This , foster a taste for tree planting, and gets people 

 plantation of -560 acres is to consist of 300 acres | into the habit of planting a few trees every year, 

 of the western catalpa. 200 acres of ailanthus, and They will gradually become imbued with the 

 60 acres which will serve as an experimental ! desire to plant, and so will send larger orders, 

 ground on which will be tested trees of several At any rate, whether there is, or is not, profit to 

 varieties, to be selected by the director of the the grower, people are thus enabled to obtain the 

 Harvard Arboretum, Prof. Sargent. The western ! best trees at the lowest rates and in small quanti- 

 catalpa, a native of the low lands bordering the | ties. It is only necessary to send a dollar to the 

 lower Ohio, and the banks of the Mississippi in I Messrs. Douglas, and the sender will receive by 

 Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, is a rapidly- ! mail a package of 100 trees, of any kind named 

 growingtree,easilycultivated, and producing tim-j in their circular, which explains this peculiar 

 ber, which, although soft, is almost indestructible feature. The choice of trees include the catalpa 

 when placed in the ground, and, therefore, of the and ailanthus, already mentioned, the Avhite ash, 

 greatest value for fence-posts, railway ties and Scotch pine and many other valuable woods, 

 similar uses. The ailanthus will grow with great The experiment was made last year for the first 

 rapidity anywhere, where the climate is not too time, and 75,000 trees were sent out in this way, 

 cold for it, and in spite of its wonderfully quick of which not a single one, it is said, failed_ to 



growth, produces hard, heavy timber valuable 

 for fuel, ties, cabinet work, or almost every pur- 

 pose for which w'ood is used. 



reach its destination in perfect condition. The 

 plan was so successful that this year it is expected 

 that several million trees will thus be distributed 



" It is believed that this plantation will soon | over the country, not only all over the New Eng- 

 lead to the formation of others, both by the rail- j land and Western States, but in large quantities in 

 road companies and by individuals, or corpora- 1 Texas, New Mexico, California, Oregon and Utah, 

 tions chartered to plant and own timber lands in | The advantage is very great to small livrmers 

 the prairie States. Eventually, a great deal of| living in remote portions of the country where 

 capital will be invested in this way. The returns ; freight and express charges are excessive, and 

 will be slow, and a man investing thus should ; tree-planting cannot fail to be encouraged among 

 consider that he is doing it for his children. But a class of men who will be greatly benefited by 

 when the returns do come they will be enormous, ; it, and who, without such a system, would be 

 even at the present prices of lumber, and it must practically outside the possibility of procuring 

 be remembered that, before a crop of trees valuable trees. If every farmer in this country 

 planted now can be harvested, the price of ties would consider it a part of his routine work to 

 and other forest products will be more than plant annually 100 trees, the question of the fu- 

 doubled in the Western States. An encouraging ture timber supply of the United States would be 

 fact, and one which shows that public attention greatly simplified, and this plan puts it within 

 is being directed to the importance of providing the reach of all to do so if they choose, 

 for the future demand of such things is, that the "The importance of tree planting is now recog- 

 Iron Mountain Railroad Company, which runs nized by several of the Western States, which 

 for hundreds of miles through a heavily timbered offer bounties for the best lots of woodland, 

 region, and possesses in its own lands some of the and exempt land planted with trees from taxa- 

 finest white oak on the continent, has also made I tion for a considerable term of yeai-s- In this 

 a contract with the Messrs. Douglas to plant near ' state, the Massachusetts Society for the Promo- 

 Charleston, Mo., 1(H) acres of western catalpa as tion of .\griculture offers fine premiums for the 



