15 



HARDY CATALPA. 



A considerable amount of hardy catalpa and its hybrids has been 

 planted in southeastern Nebraska. The hardy kind succeeds well in 

 this part of the State, but most of the hybrid forms have failed, and 

 on this account catalpa is in ill repute with many^ people. A study of 

 the table, however, will prove that hardy catalpa will not only suc- 

 ceed, but under right conditions will yield paying returns. Planta- 

 tion 4 is now being harvested. Six acres were cut clear the past two 

 winters, and the fence posts have yielded a gross return of $207 per 

 acre. The owner values the additional fuel wood at $5 per acre. The 

 cost of harvesting the crop was $25 per acre. The first-class posts 

 sell for 14 cents, the second-class for 9 cents, the third-class, or stakes, 

 for 4 cents. The value of the fence posts in No. 12 is $332 per acre, 

 and material worth $52 per acre has been sold from this plantation in 

 the past two years, making its gross value $383 per acre, to say noth- 

 ing of the large number of posts that were previously cut from it. 



All the plantations herein reported are in the region south of 

 the Platte River and east of Hastings. As a rule, the species has 

 not done well west of York. It was not found in plantation form 

 north of the Platte River, tho many single trees in good condition 

 were noted. Successful plantations may be seen at Yankton and 

 Viborg, S. Dak. Hardy catalpa can probably be grown on good soils 

 thruout the region covered by this report, except in the sand hills. 

 Wherever it will succeed, no other tree will pay so well. It requires 

 a deep, fertile, porous soil, and the situation is still more desirable if 

 the water table is within 10 or 15 feet of the surface. These condi- 

 tions exist in many of the river bottoms, especially in the Platte River 

 Valley. 



TABLE 5. Yield of hardy catalpa. 



[Cir. 45] 



