FORESTRY MANUAL. 13 



mostly good. These rails were split and nailed on in June and July. Posts 

 made from native timber, seasoned one summer before setting, mixed with 

 White oak posts treated in the same way, lasted equally well. Some long 

 Honey locust posts in this fence, when rotted off, were inverted, and lasted 

 ten years longer in a new fence. It is well to say that young timber rapidly 

 grown on our rich prairie soil, will in no case prove as durable as that of our 

 old native trees. . But recent observation in the groves of Illinois of twenty- 

 five years' growth, makes the fact evident that as growth is impeded by 

 standing thickly and complete occupancy of the soil by roots, the proportion 

 of sap-wood becomes small, and the heart-wood becomes firm and dry, as 

 noted in thick growths of the poplars. As fuel, the Honey locust rates in 

 value with the lied oak. 



The seed ripens in autumn, and may be gathered any time during the fall 

 or winter; but the sooner pods are gathered after falling to the ground, the 

 better. On most of the rivers of the State pods may be gathered in quantity 

 grown on thornless trees. 



Before planting, scald the seeds severely; part of them will swell; sift 

 these out with a coarse fanning-mill sieve; scald the remainder again, re- 

 peatedly scalding and sifting until all are swelled. The ground should be 

 ready and the seeds at once planted. They will come up in two or three 

 days if the weather be favorable, and their upright growth is so rapid that 

 less care is needed in picking out weeds from among the plants than with 

 any other forest-tree seedlings. Keep the weeds down carefully with good 

 culture during the summer; take up the plants in the fall and heel in care- 

 fully where water will not stand, or cover in seed-bed with a heavy mulch, 

 as soon as the ground commences to freeze. If left standing in seed-beds, 

 the plants are often injured during the winter unless mulched. After the 

 first year the plants are perfectly hardy, if seed from our native trees be 

 used. Many of the plants produced from the foreign Honey locust seed 

 prove as tender in o\ir climate as the peach tree. No valuable tree in our 

 list bears transplanting with as little check to growth as the Honey locust. 

 For directions as to best mode of transplanting, see future page. 



BED ELM. 



If this elm be planted singly for lawn or shade trees on the prairie, its 

 terminal branches are often covered with unsightly excrescences; but 

 thrifty seedlings, in forestry rows, four feet apart, cultivated for four or five 

 years, will grow right along and show every sign of health and vigor. It is 

 best, though, to plant outside rows to windward, with trees better adapted 

 to tiie winter blizzards. Few realize the rapidity of growth, under culture, 

 of this valuable tree. The writer has trees of six years' growth as large as 

 box-elders of the same age ; that is, not quite so large at the crown, but con- 

 taining more timber on account of retaining size to much greater height. 

 Wo have no tree with so great a proportion of heart-wood in young growths 

 is this elm can show. In close plantations it runs up straight and tall, 



