1484 The Trees of Great Britain and Ireland 



Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. It has succeeded on irrigated lands in New 

 Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, at low altitudes and where the soil is free from alkali. 

 The range for economic planting appears to be on the fertile alluvial lands of the 

 middle west, south of lat. 41°. 



This species, though only distinguished by Warder as late as 1853, appears to 

 have been introduced early into France, as it was figured in Nouveau Duhamel in 

 1802 ; but no trees so old as this are now known in Europe. Prof. Sargent sent 

 seeds to Kew in 1880, and probably about the same time to Segrez and Les Barres 

 in France. At Kew C. speciosus though forming a better tree than C. bignonioides, 

 is very slow in growth, the tallest example, now thirty years old, from seed, being 

 about 25 feet high. It is perfectly hardy, as it has borne at Kew 0° Fahr. without 

 injury, and does not suffer in the severe winters of New England. Bureau states 

 that on M. Andrd's property in Touraine it did not suffer from a temperature of 

 - 26° Cent. 



It came into vogue in America as a tree for planting to produce timber quickly 

 about 1879 to 1883, when large plantations were made by R. Douglas, near Far- 

 Hngton in Kansas, which are now owned by the railway company. One forty-acre 

 tract of these plantations is, however, C. bignonioides. (A. H.) 



Cultivation 



An immense quantity of literature on this species has appeared in America, 

 mainly by Mr. John P. Brown of Connersville, Indiana, who devoted a great 

 part of his magazine. Arboriculture, to advocating the economic value of this 

 tree. Though this publication contains many illustrations and details on the 

 growth of the Catalpa in many localities and under varied conditions, it has more 

 interest for American than for British readers, and our space will not allow me 

 to refer to them in detail. There seems to be little doubt that in the rich 

 alluvial valleys of the Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, and other tributaries of the Missis- 

 sippi, its growth is very rapid when young, and it is one of the most valuable trees 

 for fencing, lumber, railway sleepers, and other purposes,^ on account of the durability 

 of its timber ; but it requires a much longer and hotter summer than any part of 

 our islands afford. The latest account of this species is by Oman,^ who studied the 

 results obtained by four plantations in Kansas, which were cut in 1902-1906. He 

 gives valuable hints regarding the proper mode of planting, and states that the 

 financial returns on deep fertile porous soil are remarkable. This tree endures 

 inundation, one plantation having been completely submerged for a week without 

 injury. It coppices freely, and can even be propagated by cuttings; but suckers 

 from the roots have not been observed. 



Large quantities of seedlings have been raised and distributed in this country 

 on several occasions,^ but we cannot hear of a single place in which they show any 



» It is also a suitable timber for furniture, as shown by an arm-chair given me by Mr. Brown at Louis in 1904, which 

 has handsome grain, takes a good polish, and has worn well. 



2 Proc. Soc. Amer. Foresters, vi. 42-52 (1911). 



3 About 150 trees of this species, which were raised from seed in the Royal Horticultural Society's garden at Chiswick 

 in 1880, were distributed widely to the members ; but we have not seen any of these (Card. Chron. xlvii. 245 (1910)). 



