276 PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 



and would prevent the issuance of such a mass of errors and misinformation 

 as is contained in the recent Bulletin on the catalpa, sent out by the Bureau of 

 Forestry. 



We have long been battling with large and influential seed dealers, who 

 have distributed millions of bignonoides and hybrid catalpa seed under the 

 name of Catalpa speciosa, and have been at great expense in having engrav- 

 ings made, showing the different types of trees, flowers and seed, but some of 

 the seedsmen refuse to learn, and this season large quantities of worthless 

 seed have been sold to the American people under the label of Catalpa spcciosa. 



Some time since we received several packets of seed from widely sepa- 

 rated sources, all from the same seed house. 



One man in Florida, asking our opinion of the seed, said he had sent 

 samples of the same seed to the Forestry Bureau, Washington. 



The seed were of all sorts, badly mixed ; only a small proportion were 

 speciosa. This we reported to the sender. Soon after the man wrote us that 

 the Forestry Bureau had pronounced them Catalpa speciosa. 



We determined to test the knowledge of the Forestry Bureau authorities. 

 Calling to our assistance Dr. R. W. Taylor, of Cincinnati, that gentleman 

 collected seed from one of the worst specimens of Catalpa scrubbiosa to be 

 found among the thousands of scrub catalpas near Cincinnati (see page 2/Si. 



These bignonioides seed were sent to Gifford Pinchot, Chief of the Fores- 

 try Bureau asking what variety they were. 



We give in full the government authorities' reply : 



"United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry. 



Washington, May 10, 1905. 

 "(Dendrology.) 

 "Mr. R. W. Taylor, 2200 Central Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio: 



"Dear Sir: -I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of May i, 

 which Mr. Gifford Pinchot has referred to me, together with the catalpa seol. 

 which is Catalpa speciosa. Very truly yours, 



"GEORGE B. SUDWORTH, Chief." 



. On another page we exhibit the tree and photograph the seed which 

 the highest authority of the United States declares to be Catalpa spcciosa. 



It is indeed a stupendous undertaking to educate the public and help to 

 secure the planting of forests which will be of value, when the government 

 authorities place such obstructions in the way. 



The opposition which this Society has had from the Forestry Bureau 

 has almost made it impossible to accomplish the great work which is being 

 done throughout the world by the International Society of Arboriculture. 



The American public have been grossly outraged by these seedsmen, who 

 have distributed thousands of pounds of dwarf and worthless catalpa seed, so 

 that it is extremely difficult to find trees of pure speciosa. 



