374 THE PEOPLE'S FARM AND STOCK CYCLOPEDIA. 



The trees have made an excellent growth, and now, at six years 

 old, are large enough for fence stakes. Four years ago I planted 

 a row of locusts trees (one year old from seed), four feet apart 

 in the row, between a cultivated field and a piece of permanent 

 pasture which lay north of it. The row is fifty rods long, and I 

 designed to use the trees for posts, either attaching wires to 

 them or setting up light panels of board fence against them. 

 The spring they were set we had the dryest May I ever remem- 

 ber, and all the trees died down to the ground, but on the 30th 

 day of May a soaking rain revived them, and they started from 

 the root, and every tree grew. As this growth was not strong 

 or straight as I wished, I cut them back to the ground the fol- 

 lowing spring, and rubbed off all but one sprout, when they 

 started to grow. Three summers' growth made these trees 

 strong enough to support panels of fence, but I made instead 

 a brush fence by weaving hedge brush between them at a cost 

 of eight cents per rod, as you will find described in the chapter 

 on fences. In one place this row of trees crosses a knoll from 

 which the soil has been washed, leaving the yellow clay, and 

 here the trees have grown as strong and healthy as on the 

 richer land, although the spot would not produce grain enough 

 to pay for cultivation. 



Another point to be considered in growing timber is that 

 taxes are light. The land in locust which I refer to and which 

 has paid nearly twenty-five dollars a year for posts sold, is not 

 taxed any heavier than similar land on adjoining farms, which 

 does not pay to the owners two dollars an acre. In many States 

 there is a special provision which exempts from taxation land 

 planted in timber, and I have never known it to be taxed more 

 heavily than similar land adjoining. 



How to Start a Locust Plantation. The seed should 

 be sown in nursery rows. The best time to sow is about corn 

 planting time, but fair sized plants can be grown from seed sown 

 as late as the middle of June. The seed must be scalded, as 

 without this preparation, not one seed in a hundred will grow, 

 Put the seed in a water-tight vessel and pour over it water 

 nearly boiling ; let it stand till cool. You will find a part of the 



