r6 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



AMERICAN FOREST TREES. 



Hardy Catalpa. 

 Catalpa spi eiosa — Warder. 



The only region where this tree was origi- 

 nally found is southeastern Illinois, south- 

 western Indiana — along the lower ninety 

 miles of the "Wabash — and as far as the 

 mouth of the Ohio. At the present time, how- 

 over, it grows in many states, under cultiva- 

 tion, and intermingled with inferior varie- 

 ties. 



It is known as hardy catalpa in 

 Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Michi- 

 gan; as western catalpa in Penn- 

 sylvania, Ohio, Kansas, Illinois and 

 Nebraska; as catalpa in Rhode 

 Island, New York, Louisiana, Illi- 

 nois, Indiana, Missouri, "Wisconsin, 

 Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota; as 

 the cigar tree in Missouri and Iowa, 

 from the fact that children use the 

 pods to smoke; as bois puant in 

 Louisiana; as Indian bean and 

 Shawneewood in Indiana. 



The bark of the tree is dark grey 

 and broken. The leaves are large 

 and simple; broad and ovate, with 

 pointed apex; in color they are light 

 green; the under side is pubescent, 

 especially along the ribs. The flow- 

 ers bloom in June or July and are 

 white, with the inside showing 

 streaks of rich purple and yellow; 

 they grow in erect, terminal pan- 

 icles and are very large and fra- 

 grant. The fruit is a slender pod, 

 a foot or more in length, which con- 

 tains sweet-scented, winged seeds. It 

 matures in September or October. 



In shape the tree is tall, slender 

 and symmetrical, with spreading 

 branches. In native forests the 

 specimens are tall, straight • and 

 have few branches along the trunk. 



When it is considered that only a 

 hundred years ago Catalpa speciosa 

 was confined to the district about 

 the mouth of the Wabash and parts* 

 of states contiguous to Indiana, it is 

 wonderful to what a variety of soils 

 and climates it has since adapted it- 

 s»lf under cultivation — the rich al- 

 luvial soils of the Mississippi vail. \ 

 as well as to the arid plains of the 

 western states. However, pure sandy 

 soil is its ideal habitat. Where 

 abundant moisture and long hot 

 seasons furnish the proper stiniu 

 lus for rapid growth the tree often 

 increases two inches in diameter within a 

 year. It is frequently contended that this 

 rapid" growth will not furnish as substantial 

 timber as more slow-growing trees. This 

 argument, however, has been successfully re- 

 futed by. prolonged and careful tests. Tim- 

 ber lands which have been cut over and are 

 not of great value may be profitably planted 

 with catalpa. 



FORTY-SIXTH PAPER. 



There is such a close resemblance between 

 tin- different species of this genus, both 

 those of Asiatic and American nativity, that 

 it is only within the past few years that dis- 

 tinctions have been carefully and correctly 

 drawn. .Virginia, the original home of Ca- 

 talpa bignonoides has large areas well 

 adapted to the cultivation of speciosa, but 

 must of the t roes found there, as well as in 



TYPICAL FOREST GROWTH, CATALPA 

 SPECIOSA, INDIANA. 



tin- city of Washington, are the former, 

 planted under the impression that they were 

 speciosa, and almost without exception 

 crooked, deformed, scrubby and worthless, 

 naturally exciting the contempt of forestry 

 experts, and explaining the violent opposi- 

 tion offered the catalpa by the Forestry 

 Bureau. This mistake has frequently oc- 

 curred, causing great confusion among bot- 



anists and the laity, who have thus been led 

 to believe and propagate the doctrine that 

 t he- catalpa is a valueless and unimportant 

 tree. The Rio Grande Western Railroad 

 planted 65,000 trees, supposedly speciosa, at 

 Provo, Utah,' in 1900, a large portion of 

 which turned out to be bignonoides, which 

 in equal time and under the same treatment 

 will attain a height of only four or five feet, 

 while speciosa will range from 

 twelve to sixteen, and show a girth 

 of perhaps eight inches. 



Numerous hybrids are raised by 

 intermixture of the several varie- 

 ties, none of which are the equal 

 of the great forest tree of the 

 Wabash, which is an entirely distinct 

 and much superior type — the only 

 form which should be cultivated 

 for any purpose. All other forms 

 should be avoided, particularly the 

 bignonoides, which is the most com- 

 mon, and hence fosters the general 

 belief that the value of all catalpa 

 for commercial purposes is prac- 

 tically nil; this variety, from its 

 low growth and spreading habit, is 

 indeed totally worthless as a tim- 

 ber tree. A photograph of a typical 

 bignonoides is shown in the smaller 

 halftone accompanying this article. 

 There are several means of iden- 

 tifying speciosa, not the least im- 

 portant of which is examination of 

 the bark of an old tree. It is 

 thick, heavy and deeply furrowed, 

 while that of other kinds is in- 

 clined to scale off and does not 

 form such prominent ridges. Spe- 

 eiosa usually blooms earlier and 

 continues later than do others in 

 the same locality. The flowers have 

 a broad border of white, which 

 makes the color tone considerably 

 lighter than that of other varie- 

 ties. It develops fewer seed pods 

 and longer ones from the same- 

 sized cluster of flowers, and the 

 seed has a broad pencil of fila- 

 ments at each end, while the infe- 

 rior species have these filaments 

 drawn together and even twisted. 

 The low spreading trees of hybrid 

 or Oriental origin are so prolific in 

 the production of seeds and they 

 may be so easily gathered that 

 many thousand pounds have been 

 scattered broadcast throughout the 

 country to the serious detriment of nursery- 

 men and the great disadvantage of the 

 catalpa speciosa, causing it to be condemned 

 utterly because mistaken and unknown. 



Of this tree as a timber producer, a lead- 

 ing authority and enthusiast says: "It is 

 the most rapidly growing tree in America 

 that possesses economic value. A greater 

 quantity of valuable wood may be produced 



