PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 251 



of the trees devolved upon others and they have been mutilated by telegraph 

 linemen their value destroyed. Yet many of these trees are of size to bear 

 out the general rule, one inch diameter increase per annum. 



The Evansville & Terre Haute Railway about the same time planted a 

 grove at Sullivan, Ind., and one near Decker Station. Also set many trees 

 along right-of-way. An examination of these prove them to be mostly the 

 bignonoides. 



This seems strange since C. speciosa was abundant in the vicinity, but 

 this is explained by the large quantity of seed produced by low growing big- 

 nonoides, and the ease with which it may be collected, while C. speciosa pro- 

 duces very few pods, which are high in the tall forest tree and are gathered 

 only by great labor and at much greater cost. 



The grove at Sullivan is 4x4 feet distant, not cultivated, and are now, 

 after twenty years, stunted and dwarfed and choked with briars and grass. 

 A few trees planted at the same time at the station grounds are fine large 

 trees, ten times larger than those in the grove. They have had ample room, 

 but no cultivation. 



During the lifetime of M. A. Torrey, chief engineer Michigan Central, 

 that official took much interest in the Catalpa and several thousand were 

 planted. There was a good growth and proved the hardiness of the trees in 

 Michigan. 



About thirty years ago the C., B. & Q. Railway made several experiments 

 in \Yestern Nebraska. It seems that most of the trees were planted on the 

 right-of-way, particularly on the banks near heavy cuts, for the purpose of 

 snow protection. As the trees increased in height the snow was collected at a 

 greater distance than a four-foot fence would do, and the cuts were filled with 

 snow. In this regard, they were, of course, failures, but enough has been dem- 

 onstrated to prove the value of the Catalpa in Western and Central Nebraska. 



Account of the Santa Fe experiment is given on a separate page. 



The C., C., C. & St. L. Railway, in 1898, planted 35,000 Catalpa trees on 

 one of their tracts of land near Brightwood, Ind., three miles from Indian- 

 apolis. These were planted in the autumn, and from carelessness of the ten- 

 ants, many were destroyed during the winter by being thrown out of the 

 ground by frost. 



In the spring of 1899 others were planted set 8x8 feet. These have 

 been allowed to grow at will; attempts have been made to cultivate them, but 

 it has been only partially done. The trees were cut off at the ground during 

 the winter and one shoot allowed to grow. The soil is of heavy black loam, 

 rather wet, except one portion 5 acres of a hard pan, in which no crop has ever 

 been successfully grown ; on this portion the growth has been unsatisfactory, 

 but on the whole the experiment promises excellent results. 



The Boston & Maine Railway, in Spring of 1901, planted several thousand 

 trees in the Merrimac Valley in Massachusetts. These have been very suc- 

 cessful so far. They now have about 40,000 trees. 



The Boston & Albany road planted at the same time some 20,000 trees, 

 and a quantity of seed, which have grown well. They now have probably 

 40.000 trees near \YestfieM, Mass. 



