ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 597 



discharge the seed. The seed keeps for several months without loss of 

 vitality if stored in a cool, dry place. 



PROPAGATION FROM SEEDS. 



The catalpa is usually grown from seed. Seed beds should he made 

 as fine and mellow as possible before the seed is sown. Upon this largely 

 depends the success or failure of the planting. The seed should be sown 

 in broad furrows, 3 or 4 inches in width and % inch deep, at the rate of 

 35 or 40 seed to the foot. The rows should be wide enough apart for 

 horse cultivation. The seed must not be covered more than y 2 inch deep 

 or the sprouts will be unable to get through. 



The seed should be sown as soon as the ground is thoroughly warm 

 and danger from frost entirely past. The plants grow slowly during May 

 and June, and require the best of cultivation during these months. With 

 the warmer weather of summer their rate of growth increases, and they 

 reach a height of from 15 to 30 inches by the end of the season. 



If left to stand in the seed beds throughout the winter a large per- 

 centage of the young trees will winterkill down to within a few inches 

 of the ground. The following spring they send out one or more vigorous 

 sprouts from their uninjured crowns. Freezing back in this manner can 

 he prevented by taking up the seedlings in the fall'soon after they shed 

 their leaves and storing them in a cellar over winter, or by heeling 

 them in and covering the entire stem. 



PLANTING STOCK. 



One-year-old seedlings are the most satisfactory for extensive plant- 

 ings. At this age the seedlings are strong enough to establish them- 

 selves readily in their new location and to make a good growth the first 

 season. They can be planted at a much less expense then than a year 

 later. The catalpa transplants very readily, and, with proper care, a 

 full stand is easily secured. In nursery practice the one-year-old seedlings 

 are sorted into three grades, according to their size. Grade No. 1 includes 

 the plants ranging from 18 to 30 inches and upwards in height. Grade 

 No. 2 includes those from 12 to 18 inches in height. Grade No. 3 includes 

 all plants under 12 inches in height. The difference in price between 

 grades is from $1 to $3 per thousand. The No. 1 trees are by far the 

 most satisfactory. Trees of grade No. 2 are all right for extensive plant- 

 ings. Grade No. 3 are the culls of the entire lot, and should be rejected, 

 whether grown in a nursery or at home. The small seedlings do not make 

 as satisfactory a growth as the larger plants. They require more cultiva- 

 tion, and a larger percentage of the trees die during the first and second 

 years after planting. 



SOIL REQUIREMENTS. 



The hardy catalpa does well on any Iowa soil with the exception of 

 gumbo, light sandy, or poorly drained soils. Almost any good corn soil 

 is all right for catalpas. The catalpa is well adapted for planting on 

 bottom lands that are subject to overflow. Occasional floodings do not 

 injure the trees unless their entire tops are covered. 



