134 Botanical Department. [Bulletin 108 



THE FARLINGTON FOREST. 



During the fall of 1877 the Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf 

 railroad commenced plantations of different kinds of trees at Far- 

 lington, near Fort Scott, Kan. Mr. J. M. Buckley, roadmaster, in his 

 report dated October 15, 1878, says : 



"The catalpa have made the greatest improvement, especially the yearlings, 

 and in my judgment it is economy in time and expense to plant none older than 

 one year. . . . The catalpa has certainly proved to be the strongest grower 

 and most tenacious, and at present rate will come to maturity years before other 

 varieties are of sufficient size to be of utility." 



The firm of Douglas & Son, of Waukegan, 111., had the contract 

 for setting out this plantation. Of the Farlington forest, Mr. Doug- 

 las writes, in a letter dated October 24, 1882, and quoted on page 14 of 

 the "Preliminary Report on Forestry," etc., just cited, as follows: 



"Three hundred and twenty acres were planted, and we are now planting 180 

 acres more. That will be finished before winter sets in, or before April 1, 1883. 

 The plantation consists of catalpa (speciosa), with the exception of a few acres. 

 They are all planted four by four feet apart, containing 2720 trees to the acre. 

 The land is prepared the same as for corn, and the trees are planted with spades. 

 The catalpa trees planted in 1878, after four summers' growth, are ten to fifteen 

 feet high and two and one-half to three and one-half inches in diameter ; three 

 years, five to nine feet; two years planted, two and one-half to six feet (a 

 drought last year) ; one year planted, three to four feet. On rich land these trees 

 shade the ground after two years' cultivation. On poorer land they require three 

 years' cultivation." 



Concerning the present condition of the Farlington forest, Mr. H. 

 P. Jacques, purchasing and timber agent for the 'Frisco system, now 

 owners of the plantation, writing from St. Louis, Mo., under date of 

 February 14, 1902, says : 



"Our plantation at Farlington for catalpa trees was planted between the 

 years 1879 and 1882, and contains 640 acres, of which, approximately, 550 were 

 planted almost entirely with Catalpa speciosa (the Western or hardy catalpa). 

 The other trees on the property were in small numbers, and not practically suc- 

 cessful, namely, black walnut, black cherry, white ash, and bois-d'arc. They 

 were planted 4x5 feet apart, and allowed to grow until about ten years old, when 

 about one-fourth of the standing trees were cut and allowed to remain on the 

 ground, being of no value. Since then, we have systematically thinned the stand- 

 ing trees, and intend to continue this work as we are doing it now until the 

 trees eventually stand about eight feet apart, and until such time as we shall 

 begin to cut for telegraph and telephone poles, of which there will be a large 

 number. After the cutting of this class of products, the trees, we think, will 

 be left to stand about eight to sixteen feet apart, to be used as railroad-ties 

 when ties become sufficiently valuable, as they are sure to be. We are now 

 thinning this plantation, and expect to pile up about 60,000 standard railroad 

 posts, and about 100,000 country fence-posts." 



