cultivation, and would become more common in time than the oak. About 

 this time, the French also began to plant the black locust on an extensive 

 scale, and it was decreed that May sixth of each year should be consecrated 

 to this tree. 



In its native country the black locust reaches a height of eighty to ninety 

 feet and a diameter of three to four feet. When grown in the open it branches 

 low, and the top is open, rounded and irregular. The leaves are eight to 

 fourteen inches long and consist of small oval leaflets arranged in pairs on the 

 sides of the leaf stem with a single leaflet on the top. The tree is most beauti- 

 ful when in flower when the pendent white clusters of pea-shaped blossoms 

 are set off by the dark green foliage. The flowers were symbolic to the Indian, 

 who presented them to the lady of his choice as a declaration of his love. 



The fruits of the black locust are brown pods which may hang on the 

 tree through the winter. The tree is least attractive at that season since the 

 absence of the leaves reveals the open branches and the rough, ridgy bark of 

 the trunk. 



The ability to grow in a wide variety of soils and under arid conditions 

 is a strong point in favor of the black locust. Its habit of suckering is its chief 

 objection, although this propensity varies greatly. In some places it suckers 

 freely while in others practically no suckering takes place. The tree can be 

 easily propagated by cuttings and grows rapidly, making a dense hard wood, 

 which is valuable for posts. It is the best wood known for tree-nails and 

 was in great demand during the late war for that use in the construction of 

 wooden ships. 



Black locust did not supersede all other trees in England as was pre- 

 dicted, but many fine specimens are found there, some of them three or four 

 feet in diameter. It is a common tree in California particularly in old mining 

 camps where it was planted by the pioneers who brought the seed with 

 them across the plains or around Cape Horn. The beauty and fragrance of 

 these trees in the spring now forms the chief attractiveness of many of these 

 old camps, some of which have become practically deserted. 



HONEY LOCUST 



Honey locust (Gleditschia triacanthos), which grows naturally in the 

 Appalachian region and as far west as Kansas and Texas, is planted for orna- 



(48) 



