Cultivation of the Locust. 
mi 
In a recent letter from Judge Beatty, authorizing 
the publication of the following valuable essay, which 
he designs shall constitute a part of his forth-coming 
work, he says in an excursion lately made in different 
parts of the country, he has found additional and valu¬ 
able information on this subject, which he will embody 
in the article before going to press. He will also add 
an essay on the grazing and feeding of cattle in Ken¬ 
tucky, which is much needed for that region. The sub¬ 
ject having had little attention thus far, has not 
hitherto been reduced to a system by their most expe¬ 
rienced graziers. 
An Essay on the Cultivation of the Black or Yellow 
Locust. 
BY JUDGE BEATTY, OF KENTUCKY. 
The rapid growth and great durability of the black 
locust; the ease with which it is cultivated; the small 
space of ground necessary for the purpose; and its 
adaptation for fencing and other valuable uses, render 
its cultivation of the highest importance. It will be of 
peculiar value to those portions of the great West, in 
which prairies are so much more extensive than wood 
land. 
It may be propagated from the seed, or by suffering 
the sprouts to spring up in places where locust trees 
have been cut down. The latter mode of raising the 
locust is attended with the least trouble, and it has the 
advantage of bringing them forward somewhat earlier 
than where they are propagated from the seed. But 
as they ean be reared in this way only where the lo¬ 
cust already exists, the other method must necessarily 
be resorted to, where circumstances will not admit of 
their being cultivated by suffering sprouts to spring up 
from the roots of those which have been cut down. 
Both modes of cultivating them will be explained in 
this essay. 
In a country in which the locust already exists, the 
following method may be adopted. Select a conven¬ 
ient piece of ground, or separate and distinct pieces, on 
various parts of the plantation, where locusts are 
growing not too wide asunder. Let all other timber, 
except the locusts, be cut down, and the ground care¬ 
fully cleared and cultivated, during the summer, so as 
to suffer no weeds to go to seed. Hemp, tobacco, 
pumpkins, &c. would be convenient crops for the pur¬ 
pose. After these crops are removed in the fall, let 
the ground be plowed, and harrowed, and brushed, so 
as to leave a smooth surface. About the middle of 
February,* it should be sowed with red clover, one 
gallon to the acre, and about the middle of March 
all the locust trees should be cut down, and the 
brush and timber removed or burnt. In order to 
prevent any weeds from growing among the clover, 
one bushel of small oats to the acre, (not more,) might 
be sowed on the ground about the middle of March, 
Avithout brushing or harroAving it in. By sowing the 
oats thin, and one month after the cloAmr, the latter 
would get a good start, and be less liable to be smoth¬ 
ered. Nothing more Avould be necessary but to enclose 
the ground with a good fence, so as to protect the 
young locusts from stock. If the ground is new or 
very rich, the soAving of the oats may be dispensed 
Avith, as by growing rank and falling down thay might 
injure the young locusts. Besides, new ground or 
grass land is not apt to be infested with Aveeds, and 
therefore the clover would not need to be protected 
from them. When locusts are cut down in the spring, 
say about the 15th of March,f (in latitude 39°,) and 
* This is intended for the latitude of Kentucky. 
f I have found, Avhen locusts are cut in the fall or 
winter, that they put up but few sprouts. 
the ground is prepared, as above directed, a large 
number of young locusts will spring up among the clo- 
A r er and oats, and Avill groAV with tall and straight 
bodies. Standing thick, they will be prevented from 
branching, and require no trimming, nor any other at¬ 
tention, except to keep a geod fence around them until 
they are so large as not to be liable to injury from 
stock. Cattle are very fond of browsing upon the 
leaA r es and tender branches of the locust, in the spring 
of the year, and will bend them down, even Avhen they 
are of considerable size, to get at them. This Avould 
prove utterly destructive, and should be carefully 
guarded against. Indeed, it Avould be better to keep 
all stock off the ground, even Avhen the locusts are o! 
considerable size, as this Avould preserve the ground in 
a light state, and cause thew to grow much more rap¬ 
idly. In process of time the unthrifty locusts will be 
overtopped by those of more vigorous growth, and will 
die. In this way they will gradually thin themselves. 
After some years, many of the less thrifty ones, Avhen 
large enough for stakes, may be cut down for that pur¬ 
pose, and then more room will be left for the others. 
Locusts are very subject to be injured by an insect 
that penetrates the bark, making large holes into the 
wood of the tree, Avhich greatly injures them. All that 
are much injured will fall behind, and become under 
lings; but among the great number that will spring 
from the roots of the old groAvth, enough will escape 
serious injury to coA r er the ground with as many as can 
grow to advantage. These will flourish and come to 
perfection, Avhile the unthrifty ones may, from time to 
time, be cut out for stakes, and riders for fencing. 
I have now growing twelve or fifteen hundred lo¬ 
custs, from 15 to 25 years old, reared as herein de¬ 
scribed, from among Avhich I liaA^e had several thous¬ 
and stakes and riders cut. The balance have grown 
up tall, and without branching, and promise well for 
rail timber, but have not grown as rapidly as they 
should haA r e done, in consequence of the ground being 
set Avith blue grass, and pastured Avith large stock. 
Locusts, cultivated as herein directed, may stand, 
upon an average, within ten feet of each other, and 
will, in the course of tAventy-frve or thirty years, attain 
a size sufficient to produce twenty-five rails each. 
Standing at the above distance, an acre of ground 
would contain 435 trees. But suppose, from various 
calamities, such as standing irregularly, dying, &c., 
only 300 should attain a size sufficient to average 
twenty-five rails. At this rate, each acre Avould pro¬ 
duce 7,500 rails, besides stakes enough from the 
branches for staking the fence made with the rails, say 
1,500. Thus ten acres of land, set in locusts, would, 
in about twenty-five years, yield 75,000 rails, and 
1,500 stakes, sufficient to make 7,500 pannels. If the 
Avhole of these Avere cut doAvn, at the end of twenty- 
five years, the sprouts growing from the old roots, if 
protected from stock, Avould produce more than as 
many more rails and stakes, by the time the fence 
Avould require to be reneAved. 
Thus it will be seen that only ten acres of land 
would be necessary, to produce rail timber enough to 
fence in a large plantation. 
It may happen that in the place selected, the old lo¬ 
custs may not stand so regular as to fill the Avhole 
space Avith young growth. In that case, the open pla¬ 
ces might be mowed for hay, but Avhere the locusts 
stand thick, the clover and oats should be left undis¬ 
turbed. The clover, growing up annually and falling 
down, Avill keep the ground light and rich, and cause 
the locusts to grow rapidly. After four or five years, 
when, perhaps, blue grass may, in part, have taken 
the place of clover, calves and other young stock might 
