ESTIMATES AND DISCUSSION. 



87 



Table 24 gives the results of the estimates of posts in seven mul- 

 berry hedges, all but the last two being single rows. No. 7 represents 

 a row on the south side of a belt of ash, maple, and willow, and 

 No. 6 is two rows 5 feet apart. 



TABLE 24. Russian mulberry estimates of posts. 



The points especially worthy of note are: 



(1) The acre value of young mulberry is very high and in nearly 

 every case is greater than the highest value of white willow on A-class 

 situations. This is due to the tremendous root vigor of mulberry. 

 If it is planted adjacent to field crops, a much larger area would be 

 chargeable to the trees in dry years than has been used in these 

 calculations. 



(2) Even on moderately dry situations mulberry produces a good 

 revenue from posts when protected by other trees. An outer row, 

 in No. 7, was exposed to south winds and was much poorer than the 

 inside row; in fact, many of the trees had died. 



(3) In spite of the low value assigned to the smaller posts of 

 mulberry, which are almost wholly sapwood, the immense number 

 of shoots from the same root stock makes these an important item. 

 The most valuable hedges are those with a large proportion of third- 

 class posts. 



(4) The wide root system of mulberry, supporting numerous stems 

 and a dense mass of foliage, gives it unusual value for protection 

 purposes. 



CAT ALP A. 



The hardy catalpa, although a valuable tree for post and pole 

 production in the Middle West, can not be considered a good tree 

 for windbreak planting, unless the probable revenue from a grove 

 may be made to compare favorably with the income from field crops 

 on the same ground. The catalpa is essentially a forest- tree. It 

 does not succeed in unsheltered situations because of its slight power 

 of resisting the influence of dry winds. Hence, unlike several of the 



