228 PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 
well was a director. It was treated in same manner, and also planted 4x4 feet. 
The St. Louis & San Francisco Railway is now possessor of the property. Dur- 
ing 1904 the entire tract was cleared, making the trees into fence posts. Mr. 
H. P. Jacques, the purchasing agent, informed me that he had sold one hun- 
dred thousand dollars worth of posts from the tract. 
Undoubtedly as a fence post proposition it was a success, financially. Yet 
it should have produced half a million dollars in cross-ties and lumber had it 
received rational treatment. 
In a state of nature, where time is no object, a thousand years as but a 
day, a long struggle takes place between the stronger and weaker trees, both 
robbing the others; eventually a sufficient number succeed by destroying the 
remainder. 
Where dollars are the object and time of great importance, as in an arti- 
ficiai forest, these surplus trees should be destroyed after the object of close 
planting has been attained, namely, an upright trunk free from side branches 
to a great height. Otherwise the moisture and nutriment required by the 
permanent trees will be divided and none receive enough. From a report 
made by Mr. Douglas in 1885 many of the trees, six years old, measured 18 
inches girth. While from sheer neglect and overcrowding there has been a 
serious loss in subsequent years. 
I have personally measured a large number of catalpa trees in Kansas, 
Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, District of Columbia. 
Utah, California and Indiana, taking trees of known age, and they have aver- 
aged one inch diameter increase for each year after planting. 
The Pennsylvania Railroad Company planted on its line between Richmond 
and Indianapolis a large number of catalpa trees, part of which were speciosa 
and others, bignonoides, or southern form. These were allowed to grow at 
random in a blue grass sod. They have been cut back often to prevent inter- 
ference with telegraph wires, and a majority are worthless, from neglect. Yet 
I measured several that were 48 inches girth after 16 years growth. 
If these trees could be cut down, allowing one shoot to grow from the 
stump, they would in five years produce valuable, straight, thrifty trees of 
which the company would be proud. 
One tree in Manifee County, Ky., planted in 1840, has a spread of 80 feet 
diameter, the trunk being 15 feet circumference. The lady who planted this 
tree is still living nearby. 
A writer speaking of the value of catalpa ties and lumber, says: ‘“Not- 
withstanding it makes a durable tie, the wood is entirely too valuable for that 
purpose, as the lumber—go feet b. m. in a tie, is worth $2.00 to $3.00. In fact 
there is no lumber grown in the United States that is more valuable. It 
takes a finish equal to San Domingo mahogany.” 
Several catalpa cross-ties were placed in the C. C. C. & St. L., Cairo 
division, in 1879, one of which was taken out last summer (1899), having been 
in constant use for twenty years. 
Mr. J. W. Cowper, engineer maintenance of way, officially reports of this 
tie as follows: ‘This catalpa tie, taken out of the track three miles north 
