322 LOCUST 



the exception of the California Redwood, the Beech, and the 

 Chestnut, the Locust is the only valuable species that can 

 be reasonably depended upon to reproduce itself by sprouts. 

 Other trees, like Basswood, Hickory, Yellow Poplar, Cu- 

 cumber, the Oaks, and a few others, occasionally sprout if 

 the tree is cut when young, but it is very seldom they do 

 to any satisfactory extent. 



The Locust blooms in late May or early June, according 

 to locality. The seeds are in pods it is a legume and 

 are ripe by October, and can be gathered and sown at once 

 or kept cool and planted early in the spring, the earlier 

 the better, for even then they may not germinate under 

 two years. The pods will hang on the trees until late win- 

 ter. The seeds are encased in a hard shell, and if planting 

 is delayed until spring they should be placed in water 

 nearly boiling hot. Such seeds as swell during the opera- 

 tion of scalding should be removed, and more hot water 

 put on such seeds as have not expanded, until all have 

 swollen, when they should be promptly planted, for their 

 vitality will be destroyed if they then become at all dry. 

 They should be sown in the seed-bed in rows eight inches 

 apart and two inches apart in the row, if only swollen seeds 

 are sown. The seedlings can ordinarily be transplanted into 

 the forest when one year old, for they may then have at- 

 tained a height of eighteen inches. 



Some of the railroads have planted Locust for ties, spac- 

 ing them six, eight, ten, and twelve feet apart, but just the 

 right distance has not been determined, as it depends largely 

 upon the character of the soil and location. It is to be re- 

 gretted that some of the plantations set out by the railroads 

 are not as promising as anticipated, and other trees are 

 being planted in their stead. This comes, no doubt, from 

 causes which arise from the tree's idiosyncrasies. Notwith- 

 standing the many discouraging things which must be re- 

 lated of this tree, it has some remarkably good qualities 

 and should be cultivated wherever it will thrive, but only 

 careful observation can determine that. 



