WHAT TO PLANT. 73 



demand that the present supply for this pur- 

 pose is likely soon to be exhausted. There is 

 an increasing demand for it also for the uses 

 of the cabinet-maker and carpenter, as the wood 

 is of a beautiful color and grain, and takes a 

 high polish, making it valuable for the manu- 

 facture of furniture and for the inside finish of 

 houses. With these desirable qualities it com- 

 bines great rapidity of growth, so that it prom- 

 ises to be one of the most valuable trees for the 

 use of the planter. 



There are two species or varieties of this 

 tree, though, until recently, they have been con- 

 founded. They are now known as the hardy 

 and the tender, or Catalpa speciosa and Catalpa 

 bignonioides, and are distinguishable chiefly by 

 their seeds and the time of the appearance of 

 their flowers, the one blooming about a fort- 

 night before the other. The earlier one is the 

 more hardy, and is to be chosen by those plant- 

 ing north of the Ohio. 



The railroad companies of the West are 

 wisely turning their attention to this tree, and 

 planting it on a considerable scale in view of 



their future wants for ties, and others are doing 

 7 



