The Pod-bearer^ 



The curving, S-shaped pods of the honey locust hang on the 

 tree until winter, when the wind whirls them along over the icy 

 ground until they lodge. Here the seeds eventually soften and 

 germinate, and saplings spring up far from the parent tree. The 

 range of this tree is extensive, but it has nowhere a very plentiful 

 growth. The wood is not as well known nor as fully appreciated 

 as it deserves. The claims of the tree for ornamental planting 

 and for shade are granted by enterprising nurserymen. It is a 

 handsome park tree, and thrives in almost any soil. It is hardy, 

 and endures heavy pruning. This character combined with its 

 thorns make it one of the best of our native hedge plants. It 

 is necessary to soften the hard seeds in hot water before planting, 

 else they will not germinate until the second year. 



Unlike most of the pod-bearers, the honey locust has greenish, 

 inconspicuous flowers, not of the pea-blossom form. The bees 

 find them, as they are fragrant and nectar laden. The "honey" 

 mentioned in the name is not in the flower but in the half-ripe 

 fruit. 



The Texan Honey Locust (G. Texana, Sarg.), with the 

 characters given in the key, has so far been found only in one 

 grove near Brazoria, Texas. It is a large, thornless tree, with 

 thin, smooth bark. 



The Water Locust (G. aquatica. Marsh.) is a small, flat- 

 topped, irregular tree which grows best in the swamps just west 

 of the lower Mississippi. It is found sparingly from South Caro- 

 lina through the eastern Gulf States, and north as far as the Ohio 

 River. The tree can easily be recognised by its brown polished 

 thorns which are 3 to 5 inches long, pointed and stiff, and some- 

 times flattened, like the blade of a sword. The two lateral 

 thorns arise close to the base of the main one. 



The pods, which are usually but i -seeded, are oval and 

 pointed, and much more thickly clustered than those of G. triacan- 

 thos. The wood is coarse and inferior to other locusts, though 

 it is heavy, hard and strong, and has been put to many uses. 



3. Genus GYMNOCLADUS, K. Koch. 



The genus Gymnoclodus has one species in China and another 

 in eastern North America, Both are bare-limbed, clumsy mem- 



337 



