420 PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 



In hanging gates, with screw eyes for strap hinges, we have often bored 

 locust posts to receive the screw eyes. The screw form of spikes may be used 

 instead of the present method of driving spikes. Still, this requires previous bor- 

 ing and occupies far greater time than to drive the spikes, in other wood. 



There is much land which is rough, steep, rocky, mountainous, which will 

 produce black locust better than almost any other trees. 



The demand for locust posts will always be great, and the waste can be used 

 for fuel. Hence it is a good investment to plant such tracts with locust, but as 

 a railway investment, for the purpose of securing cross-ties, it will be a doubtful 

 experiment. 



There are many places where the locust is more desirable for forest planting 

 than a majority of other trees. On clay soil, among rocks and gravel, and on 

 poor lands which will not maintain a good growth of timber, the locust will often 

 succeed while failure would result from planting better timber. 



Every farm should have a part of the rough land in some kind of post timber. 



The borers sometimes destroy entire groves, but as it gains in root power and 

 vigor it overcomes these attacks. 



The beauty and fragrance of the locust blossoms are well known. Good, 

 rich land may be more profitably employed by planting walnut, oak, catalpa and 

 trees which are valuable as lumber, cross-ties, etc., for which the locust is not 

 suited. 



In time of wooden block pavements, this wood was largely used, but round 

 paving blocks have been quite unsatisfactory, except in Chicago, whore they give 

 employment to many in their frequent renewals and supply of fuel in time of coal 

 famine. 



Wagon hubs are sometimes made of locust, and on the sea coast it is utilized 

 for knees and other boat timbers, belaying pins, etc. Telegraph companies use it 

 for pins, for insulator supports on cross-arms, for which there is an increasing de- 

 mand. The durability and strength of the wood make it specially valuable for this 

 purpose. 



For country telephone lines where extreme length and straightness are not 

 required, the young poles are useful. 



The locust does not increase in value rapidly after it has attained a diameter 

 of twelve inches, when it should be cut and new growths permitted. 



Our illustration is a grove of locust in Springville, Utah. The growth of the 

 locust under irrigation, with hot, dry atmosphere, is very good. The bark has a 

 character quite different from that in the East, being more roughly furrowed. 

 The value of the locust for rough lands, unprofitable for cultivation, can scarcely 

 be overestimated, since our farm fences must be maintained in all parts of 

 America. 



GROWTH OF BLACK LOCUST. 



We have referred to the peculiarity of the locust in its mode of growing in 

 folds, thus preventing it from being sawed into lumber. We present a figure of a 

 cross section of a locust tree from drawing made with accuracy. This tree, as de- 

 termined bv annual circles and also from historic record, was fifty rears old, an 1 



