13 



crowded by the catalpa. The nuts of the walnut should be collected 

 as soon as ripe in the fall, and should either be stratified in moist 

 sand or planted immediately in their permanent site. These nuts 

 should never be allowed to dry out after ripening. They are most 

 easily planted while plowing, by dropping them in a furrow and cov- 

 ering them with the next furrow slice. If walnuts are thus planted, 

 the squirrels are not likely to find them. The ground between the 

 rows during the following two years should be planted with corn, 

 and should receive good tillage. This can best be done by use of the 

 lister. After the catalpa seedlings are introduced no more corn 

 should be planted, but the ground should be cultivated as long as a 

 single-horse cultivator can be run between the rows. Catalpa seed- 

 lings 12 to 16 inches tall and one year old should be used. They can 

 be obtained from dealers for $1.50 to $5 per thousand. The labor of 

 planting these seedlings may be performed chiefly by horsepower. 

 Both walnut and catalpa should be planted in accordance with the 

 diagram shown at the right in fig. 1. 



By consulting the illustration the reader will see that the planting 

 plan subdivides this farm into eleven fields eight rectangular ones 

 of equal area and similar dimensions, and three of nearly equal area 

 but of unlike dimensions. This division will permit the application 

 of scientific crop rotations, the eight rectangular fields being suited 

 to two systems of four-year rotations and the three irregular fields 

 to one three-year rotation. The convenient shape, ease of cultivation, 

 and wonderful fertility of this farm present an excellent opportunity 

 for the arrangement of such rotations of suitable crops. 



Trees planted on the lines which separate the fields will serve as 

 windbreaks as well as living fence posts. A method adopted by some 

 is to plant Osage orange hedges between the fields, and every 20 feet 

 to allow one of the trees to grow to its natural height. The remain- 

 ing trees should be pruned to a height of 5 feet and kept within 

 proper limits for a hedge. Then, if this growth proves inefficient as 

 a fence, it can be reenforced by fencing wire stapled to the large trees. 

 If the Osage orange is undesirable or a hedge is not wanted, chestnut 

 should prove a desirable tree for the fence lines. The young trees 

 should be planted about 20 feet apart, and when they begin to crowd 

 each other every alternate tree should be cut out. Round-headed and 

 with sturdy trunks, these trees will form very effective windbreaks 

 ' for the intervening fields. Their nuts will bring a satisfactory return 

 for the land they occupy, and the trees which are cut out will furnish 

 excellent fence posts. The substitution of straight woven- wire fences 

 for the qld zigzag ones of rails transforms the fence lines from breed- 



o Stratification is a method of storing forest seeds to prevent them from drying 

 out. The seeds are stored in alternating layers between layers of moist sand. 



228 



