298 PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 
as well as the entire list of forest trees, but none, so far, offer sufficient 
inducement for capitalists to think of investing money in planting. 
What then shall it be? 
There are but few trees under consideration for planting in forest on 
extensive scale, with a view to producing a revenue for the planters during 
their life time. The one tree proposed by the opponents of Catalpa speciosa 
is the black or yellow locust. 
So far as fence posts are concerned this is one of the best trees for their 
production. 
Tor rough rocky mountains, broken lands not suited for cultivation, this 
is an ideal tree. Every farmer in America who has such broken land should 
hasten to plant millions of locusts, all will be needed, and bring good prices 
for all time to come. It is a good investment—better than much of the till- 
able land in mountainous and hill regions. There is much to favor the locust 
for money making. It occupies otherwise unproductive land and helps to 
pay taxes and interest on parts of the farm which would without the locust 
be unremunerative. 
There are many minor articles of commercial value which may be made 
from locust. It grows quickly and never requires to be replanted. Once 
a locust grove always a grove. 
While it will not make lumber, it does suit well for country lines of 
telephone poles. If it is not suited for cross ties, it will fence the railway 
track. It will pay well as a farmers’ proposition, but not as an investment 
for vast capital over millions of acres of Southern lands and middle states locations 
for the production of lumber for domestic use and for export. 
We must look elsewhere for an answer to our inquiry. 
What possible reply can we have but that Catalpa speciosa fills all the 
requirements of a commercial timber tree? The reasons are apparent to those 
who are not so thoroughly prejudiced that arguments have no weight. 
Black walnut, yellow poplar (tulip tree), cottonwood for pulp and paper, 
black locust on rocky lands, for posts, honey locust and catalpa speciosa, 
almost exhaust the list of available trees suitable for profitable investment. 
In sandy lands chestnut may be grown to advantage and with a good profit. 
All of these trees are of rapid growth, all are valuable in their special 
lines, and as a moneyed investment will pay a fair rate of interest. 
When the farmers learn the value of a woodlot and plant a small portion 
of their lands in such quickly maturing trees, and large land owners make 
extensive plantings, the individual owners will be profited and the nation will 
be the better for timber thus produced, 
