oe. 
the Osage orange, but both of them freeze back in winters which the 
locust endures uninjured. It can withstand even the climate of 
eastern Wyoming, having succeeded at Cheyenne. The red cedar is 
unsurpassed in ability to survive general adverse conditions, but the 
locust is more easily handled and, with care, grows twice as fast. It 
must have good soil, however; it has failed conspicuously with plenty 
of rainfall on ground where pine and cedar do well. Unlike the black 
locust, which is often ruined by borers, the honey locust is usually 
free from insect enemies and so far has been a uniformly healthy tree. 
- The value of the wood is not great, though it is sometimes used for 
fence posts, and has proven fairly satisfactory. Honey locust has a 
strong claim for preference over cottonwood and boxelder. It does 
well for hedges, shelterbelts, and ornament in a country where any 
tree growth is welcomed, and, moreover, makes a handsome, shapely 
tree, with a fine trunk, a spreading crown, and a foliage that is both 
delicate and attractive. The clusters of large thorns are occasionally 
objectionable, but as a general rule they are not excessive and may 
be easily removed by pruning, if desired. Many trees are partially 
or wholly free from thorns, and the nurseryman who will propagate 
a stable thornless variety will find a good market awaiting him. 
Some nurserymen are already taking this up. 
The natural habit of growth in the open is low, with heavy, spread- 
ing branches, so that a single closely set row forms a good windbreak 
if left unpruned. There is no trouble about sprouts from the roots 
unless they are cut in cultivation. After it is established, honey locust 
holds its own against grass and grows much faster than the Osage 
orange. It will also stand cutting down to a hedge, for which it is 
well adapted. | 
Honey locust makes an excellent street tree, and is increasing in 
favor for this purpose. It has been much planted in many towns, 
but perhaps its best development is at Osborne, where it determines 
the whole aspect of the streets. Many are growing finely in Wakeeney, 
Spearville, and other places. 
On the high upland 25 miles southwest of Dodge City, in a region 
about as dry as any in the State, honey locust has done well during 
the variable seasons of the last fifteen years, and increased nearly 
one-third of an inch in diameter annually. At the State forestry 
station at Dodge City, also on the upland, it is proving itself superior 
to all its associates, and has made an inch in diameter every three 
years for sixteen years, despite the fact that no recent cultivation has 
been given and though grass is coming in thickly, owing to wide 
planting. Among several species planted at the Rainbelt Experiment 
Station at Cheyenne Wells, Colo., the honey locust, though small at 
present, gives promise of the best ultimate results. 
[Cir. 161.] 
