14 



Second, a full growth of sprouts greatly lessens the loss from 

 attacks of rabbits. The protection of the sprouts against the rab- 

 bits is a very important item in caring for a grove. When all the 

 sprouts are allowed to stand over the first winter, the rabbits feed 

 on the smaller stems, and the larger stems often go through the 

 entire winter untouched. 



Third, when a full growth of sprouts is permitted the first sea- 

 son, the cost of sprouting the stumps is reduced to a minimum. 

 One cutting of the sprouts during the second season's growth is 

 all that is required. The second growth of sprouts that appears 

 after this cutting gradually fails on account of lack of light. The 

 dead stems are unsightly for a year or two, but they in no way in- 

 terfere with the growth of the second crop of trees. 



The method of selecting the future tree early in the first sea- 

 son and cutting off all the other sprouts which method has been 

 frequently advised is not practical. The loss by wind-felling 

 of the sprouts thus selected is excessive. Success in growing 

 catalpas is determined largely by the cost of the labor expended 

 upon them. The very least amount of labor that will produce the 

 desired growth is the watchword that must be constantly kept in 

 mind. Successive sprouting is a waste of time as well as an un- 

 warranted expense that must be charged against the cost of 

 growing the crop. 



Whenever cultivation is possible, the ground between the rows 

 .of trees should be cultivated during the summer immediately fol- 

 lowing the cutting. A disk harrow is the most satisfactory im- 

 plement for such cultivation. The cultivation at this time is very 

 necessary to keep down the weeds that would otherwise take pos- 

 session of the ground. Cultivation that keeps the surface soil in 

 good physical condition greatly increases the rate of tree-growth. 

 On the other hand, a lack of cultivation results in a heavy growth 

 of weeds, which, after they ripen, afford the greatest kind of cover 

 and protection for rabbits, which in turn live on catalpa bark 

 throughout the winter, girdling and injuring many valuable trees. 

 The presence of the dry weeds also increases the danger of the 

 destruction of the trees by fire. If a fire should once get started in 

 such a mass of dry vegetation, it would be impossible to stop its 

 progress until it burned itself out. The cultivation prescribed 

 would cut and injure some of the surface roots, but this injury is 

 not worthy of mention in comparison with the injury that would 

 result from a fire running through the trees. 



If the trees of the original planting are allowed to grow until 

 they become infected with fungus, their ability to reproduce by 



