PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 281 
Pine lumber of better grades is almost exhausted, and so with oak and 
other woods, something must be provided to take their place. 
The landowners who are wise will devote a portion of their farms to the 
growing of fence posts, cross ties and other forms of timber. 
We append a table, carefully prepared after a third of a century’s obser- 
vations and measurements, showing the annual rate of growth of our prin- 
cipal trees, and also estimates of growths which may be obtained in a series 
of years for each acre planted and properly cared for. This data will enable 
you to determine the probable results in a given number of years. 
A majority of trees will have room to develop if planted 14x14 feet or 
220 to the acre. 
The Catalpa speciosa increases one inch in thickness each year if reason- 
ably cared for; thus by the end of twenty-five years the trees become 24 
inches in diameter, with a uniform taper to the top. 
Such a tree will contain 150 feet b. m. lumber, 25,000 feet to the acre, 
and bring, at prices which will prevail twenty-five years hence, $60 per 
thousand, or $1,500 per acre, net, while the cost of planting and caring for them 
will be inconsiderable. 
If such trees are sawed into cross ties, they will produce 1,700 ties, and 
will bring one dollar each on account of durability. 
In the vicinity of mining operations, where mine timbers are constantly 
in demand, the income will begin in eight or ten years, each tree making 
probably two lengths, or 1,360 timbers per acre. 
Some railway companies are planting Catalpa timber on a large scale 
upon their lands, under which lie vast beds of coal. It is now difficult to 
procure a sufficient number of mine timbers to support the roof of the 
mines. These trees will, in eight years, make better props and ties than the 
wood now being used, while transportation from long distances will be 
avoided. Eight hundred and eighty-six trees, making 1,172 props and ties 
for the mines, grow upon each acre in eight years; the wood being so much 
more durable than what is ordinarily used, will, of course, be of greater value. 
If a railway company can do this, what opportunity does it offer to the 
farmer to supply such wood for the mines? 
DEMANDS OF RAILWAYS. 
There are in the United States now, 250,000 miles of steam railways and 
50,000 miles of electric roads, the mileage increasing daily. It takes 3,000 
cross ties and thirty telegraph poles for each mile of track; ties must be 
renewed once in five to seven years, poles once in ten or twelve years. The 
telegraph and telephone lines have in use 5,000,000 poles. Thus three thou- 
sand millions of cross-ties and thirty millions of poles will be required during 
the twenty-five vears before us. In addition to this, three hundred and fifty 
millions of fence posts will be required to fence these roads in. 
It will be seen that a vast area of land must be planted and maintained 
in timber to provide for these three items—cross-ties, poles and fence posts. 
