114 Botanical Department. [Bulletin 108 



ditions seems improbable, Mr. Tincher writes in this connection 

 concerning his own trees ( February 24, 1902 ) : 



" On rich bottom land, 200 trees per acre can be made to average twelve inches 

 in twelve years from planting, but the second twelve years would not average 

 more than from one-third to one-half inch per year. Any one who has made a 

 close study of tree growth will know this. I doubt very much if catalpa grown 

 so quickly will make lasting timber for post, pole and tie purposes. I think 

 trees grown slower will give better results. I prefer prairie soil for this one 

 reason ; the growth is slower, but when you sell a post it will give satisfaction. 

 I have seen catalpa grown too quickly that" would not last three years as a post. 



"My best trees have only averaged a little^over one-third inch per year since 

 planting; still some of them will show a greater growth. It seems to me, if we 

 could make the forest average about one-half inch per year, it would be the safer 

 plan. At the same time, for lumber and inside work, trees grown faster would 

 produce a beautiful grain and take a fine polish. It is possible to grow catalpa 

 so every tree would average one inch per year. Some of them would make a 

 greater growth. We have many trees in Topeka only nineteen years old from 

 seed, that have been transplanted twice, that are twenty-two inches in diameter.' 1 



THINNING, HARVESTING, AND MARKETING. 



The thinning process, begun at the eighth or tenth year by the re- 

 moval of half the trees, is to be continued from year to year until there 

 are about 150 to 225 trees left, which at ,the twenty-fifth year would 

 be sufficient to occupy the ground. An interesting practice is being 

 followed out at the Yaggy plantation, which is worthy of attention. 

 That portion of the plantation which was set out in 1895 was re- 

 moved from the land entire during the winter of 1900-'01, and the 

 brush burned, after some of the stumps had been covered with sand 

 to protect them. Last spring the stumps sprouted vigorously, those 

 not covered remaining apparently uninjured, save that, the crowns 

 being burned, the sprouts started from below. Besides being a cheap 

 way for removing the brush, the advantage of burning the land over 

 after cropping lies in the destruction of insects and parasitic fungi. 

 If this can be done with no resultant injury to the roots of the 

 trees, the practice is to be commended. The growth that sprouts 

 from older roots will make is surprising. Three-year-old sprouts from 

 five-year-old roots will often make timber of post size in four years. 

 The age at which catalpa trees thus cut back will cease to sprout is 

 undetermined. 



Necessarily the entire cropping and burning off of the land is con- 

 fined to plantations grown wholly for post timber ; gradual thinning 

 up to twenty-five years, being the practice where pole, tie and lumber 

 stock is desired. Mr. Yaggy considers cropping for posts the more 

 profitable at present, but has 100 acres on which large trees will be 

 grown as an experiment. He writes: "I expect to treat most of my 

 plantation in the above manner, as the returns will be quicker and 



