144 FOREST TREES. 
duces. The Black Locust grows in the Western 
States, and is esteemed for its durability. 
Between 1855 and 1865, a species of borer (Arhopa- 
lus robiniz) peculiar to the Locust, spread over the 
State of Illinois, destroying nearly every tree of the 
kind in the country. Not only were trees planted 
for shade attacked, but groves grown for timber were 
completely ruined. With the disappearance of the 
trees the insect disappeared also, and for several years 
the few trees which survived, as well as those which 
have since sprung up from seed, or from the roots of 
the old trees, have been untouched by it. 
The rapid growth of the Locust, and the invaluable 
qualities of its wood, recommend it strongly to the 
attention of cultivators. For ornamental purposes, 
there are many trees better deserving culture; the 
suckers it throws up from its roots, and its thin, 
scraggy appearance when it has attained a consider- 
able size, constitute strong objections to it. 
The Locust may be propagated by suckers, but is 
best grown from seed sown in thespring. Itis usually 
prepared for sowing by pouring boiling water upon 
it, and allowing it to stand till cool. It should then 
be sown immediately. 
2. Robinia viscosa —Clammy Locust. 
Branchlets and leaf-stalks clammy ; flowers crowded 
with oblong racemes, tinged with rose color. 
This is a smaller tree than the preceding, growing 
to the height of thirty or forty feet. The properties 
of its wood are nearly the same as in the preceding 
