down, where it was formerly abundant, and transported in 

 wagons fifty miles or more. One man, who has large numbers 

 of catalpa trees in his river bottoms, writes me that persons 

 living on the uplands come down, cut and haul them away, 

 by night, for posts. 



A catalpa gate-post, set in the ground by Gol. Decker, of In- 

 diana, in 1780, was found to be sound in 1871, after doing duty 

 ninety years. Col. Corkum has known catalpa in use without 

 a stain of decay after fifty years. A catalpa bar-post was sent 

 me from Indiana, after if had stood in the ground seventy-five 

 years, by J. S. Miller, of the Indiana Central R. R. It is per- 

 fectly sound, as you may see in the samples before me, cut 

 from the bottom of the post. Horace J. Smith, of Philadel- 

 phia, writes: "'I had occasion to remove and re-set a gate-post 

 that had done service thirty years, and found it abundantly 

 sound to last indefinitely longer." In 1834, J. M. Bucklin, a 

 civil engineer, with Governor Davidson and others of Illinois, 

 visited Vincennes, Ind., to get information as to the durability 

 of catalpa for bridges. They found their preconceived opinion 

 of its remarkable durability fully confirmed. The facts were 

 notorious and unquestioned. J. P. Epping, Grahamville, South 

 Carolina, writes: "I use catalpa for fence-posts in preference 

 to any other wood." Daniel McNiel says that "both in Indi- 

 ana and Louisiana, where he has resided, the catalpa is re- 

 garded as the most valuable timber, for posts and fencing, on 

 account of its great durability." 



Capt. Bournes, Falmouth, Mass., says he has used the limbs 

 cut from his catalpa trees as stakes in his field fences, and 

 thinks it as durable as red cedar. 



President Harrison, in an address, reported in the Pi-airir 

 Mii'mrr in IS to, says: "Catalpa is more lasting than locust or 

 mulberry, is indigious on the Wabash and branches, and its 

 power to resist decay has been fully tested, both under ground 

 and in contact with it. A catalpa log. known to be lying 

 over the Desh;i in 1 7-S") and used as a foot bridge, was in 1840 

 but a little decayed. Major Andrew Powell says, "a catalpa 

 bar post made by his father-in-law and set up in 1770, was 

 taken up and reset <>n his farm and was still sound in IS-lo, 

 after being in use seventy-live years." James ( Mark, of South- 

 ern Illinois, writes: "Catalpa posts that have been in the 

 ground forty years are still good and still retain the bark above 

 ground." -lames Bell of Southern Illinois, writes, that "catal- 

 pa fence posts have been taken up after being in the ground 

 forty years, and reset as being good lor forty years more. 

 That catalpa is much sought after by old settlers for fence 

 posts and blocks in place of stone to set buildings on ; has been 

 nearly all carried of]' to the hill country for fence posts." lie 

 has sent me a fence post and a gate post that had been in the 



