112 Botanical Department. [Bulletin 108 



John P. Brown, of Connersville, Ind., three experienced and compe- 

 tent judges on the subject of catalpa planting. Mr. Tincher writes : 



"The early ad vice given was that trees planted 4x4 feet (2700 to the acre) would, 

 in from ten to twelve years, average one post to a tree. It is folly for any one to 

 expect such results. One acre of ground will not sustain 1000 producing trees 

 large enough for every one to make a post in ten years. So far as the 4x4 plan 

 is concerned, I will say from personal experience, disappointment will surely 

 come to any one expecting such favorable results. 1 have gradually reduced the 

 number from 2700 to 1000 per acre. It may be that a few years hence I shall 

 prefer to plant only 500. I will suggest the following plan for Kansas planters: 

 Plant at the rate of 1000 trees per acre ; have rows eight feet apart, setting the 

 trees five feet apart in the row. ... I have seen single rows of hardy catalpa 

 growing perfectly straight when ten feet apart in the row. One acre of good 

 ground may be expected to produce posts in ten years if planted on the above 

 plan." 



Mr. Yaggy writes (letter of February 28, 1902) : 



"You gave the tie dimensions as 6x8x8. I do n't think that will be a satisfac- 

 tory tie. If it would, the tree would have to be ten inches in diameter to cut that 

 sized tie. My trees are barely more than half that diameter if they are that large, 

 and they were planted twelve years ago. However, there have been 2000 trees to 

 the acre, and trees cannot be planted and grown that thick for ties. If they were 

 to be grown for ties, I think they would have to stand ten by ten feet, or about 

 500 to the acre ; but in order to grow the trees straight enough to be most useful, 

 they would have to be started probably not farther apart than I have planted 

 mine, three feet ten inches by six feet, or five by five feet. If that is not done 

 they will branch and fork too much. My idea is that if they were planted five by 

 five and then thinned out at the right time so that each tree would have plenty of 

 room, moisture, light, and air, standing in a deep sandy loam, with plenty of mois- 

 ture underneath (but no standing surface-water), the trees could be grown ten 

 inches in diameter in about twenty years. You will notice by the above that the 

 increase in diameter in my trees was not quite one-half inch average per year. 

 They are, however, planted almost as thick as corn-stalks, and they make up in 

 height what they lack in diameter. ... I plant my trees as one-year-old seed- 

 lings into a permanent plantation, three feet ten inches by six feet. I think, for 

 similar conditions to mine, my method is most advantageous, the trees being 

 nearly five by five, which insures straight growth. But in my method of plant- 

 ing you can plant a row of corn between the tree rows for the first two years, and 

 the cultivation is thus cared for without any expense. It gives us better chance 

 now to get our trees out through the six foot rows. In the places where I expect 

 to grow large timber I have removed every second tree in the row, leaving them 

 six feet by seven feet eight inches." 



Mr. Brown writes ( letter of March 1. 1902 ) : 



"Early planters invariably planted too closely. The catalpa is so rank a 

 grower that the roots, in a few years, occupy all the space, rob each other, and 

 invariably dwarf and stunt every tree if less than 8x8 feet (680 trees per acre). 

 Every plantation which has been made with plants at less distance has proven a 

 failure. Permanent trees should not be less than 16x16 feet, and all temporary 

 plants set intermediate to give forest conditions should be removed within eight 

 years. These are suitable for fence- posts, etc." 



