PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 



421 



was not unlike thousands of similar trees, but this one was cut down and made 

 into posts, enabling us to make exact reproduction of the stump. 



Its longest diameter was 28 inches. During the first ten years its increase 

 was regular, reaching a diameter of six inches, after which the tree made rapid 

 growth in direction of each main root. For twenty-five years the tree increased: 

 regularly, being then 22 inches longest diameter, but the subsequent increase was 

 extremely slow. 



This is the usual manner of growth, the wood spreading out around each 

 principal root. It is the practice of woodsmen to take advantage of this pe- 

 culiarity and with maul and wedges split apart these several lobes in the direction 

 which we have indicated, after which each section is split so as to make the 

 largest number of fence posts. Occasionally this operation is carried out at a 

 small saw mill, thus securing one or two face sides. 



Since the young growth of locust is immature it is not very durable, and 

 only the old, well matured trees possess this extreme duration. 



MANNER OF GROWTH OF LOCUST 



The difficulty of securing commercial lumber, on account of this splitting up 

 into folds, and of having squared timbers or ties from the old trees, and the lesser 

 duration of the young poles, detract from the value of the locust and limit its 

 practical usefulness, except for fence posts. 



As we have repeatedly stated, there are vast tracts of waste land upon which 

 the locust will thrive better than any other variety of timber, and it should be ex- 

 tensively grown for posts. 



It is well known that on very dry, poor soil, where the locust grows more 

 slowly, the wood has greater durability and is sometimes called yellow locust, sup- 

 posing it to differ from black locust in variety, but this is a mistake. There is 

 but one Robinia pseudacacia. 



In Europe, where the locust borer has not yet become injurious, the locust is 

 itar more successful than in America. 



