©32 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 5, 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every query must be accompanied by the name 
and aduress of the writer to insure attention. Be¬ 
fore asking a question, please see whether it is not 
answered in our advertising columns. Ask only 
a few questions at one time. Put questions on a 
separate piece of paper.] 
PLANTING CATALPA TREES. 
J. C. D., Sinclairsville, N. Y .—-I am in¬ 
terested in reforesting and forest planting, 
and would like to see some articles in your 
paper on the subject. I have seen some 
articles on the Catalpa speeiosa, but while 
they are good, they deal more with the 
value of the tree than with the planting 
and care of the plantation. I am thinking 
of starting a plantation or forest of Catalpa 
speeiosa, raising the trees from seed and 
setting them six feet apart, each way, 
finally thinning to 12 feet each way. These 
I think of leaving for a permanent forest. 
This, I know, is a radical departure from 
the usual plan, but it seems as though it 
ought to prove profitable on waste land, 
as the Catalpa speeiosa is a forest tree, 
and grows to considerable size. Of course, 
on valuable land it would not pay the 
interest. 
Ans. —I will give my method, which 
has proved very successful in -my own 
plantations. One-year-old trees from 
12 to 30 inches in height are best to set. 
The trees should hav- been grown in 
nursery with sufficient room to allow 
of a good root development and a stalky 
tree. Good trees should run from the 
thickness of a common lead pencil up 
to three-quarters of an inch in diameter. 
Many nurserymen grow them so thick¬ 
ly that they cannot develop either 
a root system or size. I have .seen 
many trees on the market that were 
from 12 to 24 inches tall, and nO thick¬ 
er than a common match. Such trees 
as this are very weak, and ned the best 
of care to make them live at all. To 
get the quickest growth and best re¬ 
sults, the ground should be plowed and 
harrowed down just as for a corn crop. 
1 mark the ground out by drawing a 
drag marker, .jvith the runners the 
proper width, each way across the field. 
This leaves a cross mark where each 
tree is to be set, and the man planting 
has nothing to do but open the ground 
with a heavy spade, insert the tree, 
tramp the earth firmly around it, and 
on to the next one. Two years ago we 
averaged to plant 1,100 trees to each 
man per day while setting 100 acres. 
One man dropped the trees for six men 
working with spades, setting. On aver¬ 
age soils 5x8 or 6x8 feet is a proper 
distance to plant the trees. Planted at 
this distance they will grow to post 
size before undue crowding takes place. 
When they reach post size, at least 
one-half of all the trees should be re¬ 
moved to allow an unchecked growth 
of the remaining trees. Wherever the 
soil and conditions permit, good culti¬ 
vation of the trees, just such as would 
be given a corn crop, for two or three 
years, will pay largely by the increased 
size and vigor of the trees. My ex¬ 
perience and observation has been that 
trees well cultivated for two years will 
be as large as the same trees on similar 
soil would be in five years, if allowed 
to contend with the weeds and grass. 
It is absolutely essential that Catalpa 
trees have proper care to pruning the 
first two or three years, if a tree of 
straight trunk and upright growth is 
wanted. Many authorities, including 
Government experts, recommend letting 
the trees grow one or two years and 
then cutting them off level with the 
ground, when a vigorous sprout growth 
will spring up from the stump, growing 
straight and upright, often attaining a 
height of six to 10 feet the first year 
from the stump. This plan has some 
very serious drawbacks; principal of 
which is the labor of cutting off the 
trees and removing the brush. Each 
stump will send up from four to 10 
sprouts and after these are well started 
—say from on 4 e to two feet high—all of 
them but one must be removed. The 
one sprout left makes a most wonder¬ 
ful growth through May and June; often 
attaining a height of three to five feet 
in four weeks’ growth. The sprouts 
are very tender, and I have known 
thousands of them to be broken off, just 
where the sprout leaves the stump, in 
mid-summer by heavy wind. This is 
very disastrous to the ultimate growth 
of the tree. 
My plan to get a straight bodied tree 
as this are very weak, and need the best 
is as follows: I. the Spring after plant¬ 
ing the trees, when they have budded out 
from one-half to two inches long, go 
through the field and rub off all buds 
or sprouts but one, always leaving the 
most vigorous sprout to grow. Cut 
back the top of the tree to just above 
where this best bud is left, being sure 
to rub off any sprouts that are lower 
down on the tree. The one bud or 
sprout that is left to grow will go up 
perfectly straight and smooth, no 
branches appearing on it the first season. 
This sprout will grow from two to six 
feet high the first season, according to 
soil, cultivation, moisture and climatic 
conditions. Go through the field the 
second Spring and rub- off all but the 
top bud after they are nicely started, 
and your trees will all be straight and 
free of branches. This work of rub¬ 
bing off the surplus buds and sprouts 
is very quickly done if taken at the 
right time, and that is before the sprouts 
get woody and tough, necessitating the 
use of a knife. Good, thrifty trees of 
the right kind, good cultivation and 
proper attention to pruning or rubbing 
off the surplus sprouts, produce most 
surprising results in Catalpa tree cul¬ 
ture. Catalpa trees can be grown in 
situations where it is impossible to 
cultivate them. They will be very much 
slower in getting a start, but if they 
are given the same attention as to prun¬ 
ing, eventually they will make fine trees, 
and there are millions of acres of waste 
land that could be made of great ulti¬ 
mate value, through common sense for¬ 
estry methods of p^ntinr suitable trees. 
Many authorities state that the 
Catalpa will not grow in New York and 
the New England States. Catalpa spe- 
ciosa trees are growing very success¬ 
fully, up to 20 years of age, near Min¬ 
neapolis, Minn., and also in many loca¬ 
tions in New York State. There have 
been so many failures of Catalpa trees 
in the Eastern States, by reason of 
planting the tender Southern Catalpa 
bignonioides that it is not much won¬ 
der many authorities say the Catalpa 
speeiosa will not thrive in the colder 
States. I am growing these trees on as 
rich farming land as the sun ever 
shone on. h. c. Rogers. 
Fertilizer for Paris Daisy. 
Reader (No Address ).—How cau I en¬ 
large the flowers of a Marguerite, just 
potted, not having bloomed during the Sum¬ 
mer? Would hone meal do it? 
Ans. —While bone meal is an excel¬ 
lent fertilizer for potted plants, it is not 
as prompt in action as some more solu¬ 
ble fertilizer. Your Marguerite or 
Paris daisy, Chrysanthemum frutescens, 
would probably respond more readily to 
light applications of sheep manure, or 
weak liquid manures made from any 
barnyard products. It might be well to 
work a teaspoonful or so of finely ground 
bone meal in the soil, as the contained 
phosphoric acid will become available 
somewhat later. 
Brown-taii, Moth and Pine Blight.— 
I thought it might interest some of your 
readers to hear that the bacterial enemy 
of the Brown-tail moth has evidently done 
good work in this section. The nests are 
considerably fewer in number, and many of 
them show most of the caterpillars dead 
on .the outside. Several people in this 
neighborhood state that the English spar¬ 
row has been noticed picking at the 
Brown-tail nests. I have seen them at the 
nests, but have never been able to find that 
they eat the caterpillars. The ‘‘leaf blight” 
on pine growth which seemed very danger¬ 
ous during the two years past appears to 
have been checked somewhat. The trees 
that looked the worst in the past Summer, 
while they are not healthy looking as yet, 
have a decidedly better appearance. Of 
course, nothing definite can be noted until 
the new growth starts. w. g. is. 
Stratham, N. II. 
FREE on request 
Catalog ot Christmas Gifts 
Our Illustrated Catalog of 
Christmas Gifts will be sent 
free of all charge upon 
request. It contains some¬ 
thing for every one in the 
household and it. 
Makes Gift Buying Easy 
Write today and there will 
be plenty of time for delivery 
of any goods you may select 
by mail. 
CHELSEA MFG. CO., 
240 "West 23rd St., New York City. 
Money Counts 
and farmers in Tidewater Virginia and Carolina 
are counting money made from large crops this 
season. You can do likewise. Ideal climate; 
three crops a year; best corn, hay, potato and 
truck lands, near fine markets, at low prices and 
on easy terms. Why not share this prosperity ? 
F. L. MERRITT, Land & Indust’l Agent, Norfolk and Southern 
Railway, 36 Citizens Bank Building, Norfolk, Ya. 
CALIFORNIA PRIVET 
Shade Trees, Spruce and Arbor Vita; Hedging, 
Cherry Trees a Specialty. Trees and Plants by 
Mail Postpaid will save you express costs. Send for 
our Catalogue, (It is Free), it will tell yon the rest 
JOS. H. BLACK, SON & CO., Ilightstown, N. J. 
WE MAIL OUR CATALOCUE FREE. 
qpHK KNOKIHOIJS YIKI.D of 50.000 quarts of 
* Strawberries now growing by my system on 
one acre. Send for CHA KT. 
KEVITT'S PLANT FARM. Athenia. N. J. 
WANTED~ St anding timber, basswood, white 
VV AH I CU ash, elm and other hard woods. 
Car lota only. Write what you have, how much, 
how located for mill and freight station and price 
asked. BACON & COMPANY, Appleton, N. Y. 
CHRISTMAS GIFT 
The fastest, safest, strongest, ever invented. 
A Boy’s sled—the only one Girls can properly 
control. Steers easily around others without 
dragging the feet—runs away from them all- 
runs farthest. Easiest to pull up hill. 
Saves its cost in shoes the first Winter -pre¬ 
vents wet feet, colds and Doctor’s bills. Built to 
last of special steel and second growtli white ash, 
handsomely finished. Insist on a Flexible Flyer. 
Look for the new- Flexible Flyer Kacer— 
long, low, narrow, speedy, moderate priced. 
Send for Free Cardboard Model (showing Just how 
it steers ) and colored Christmas booklet with prices. 
S. L. ALLEN < CO., BoxllOl-H, Philadelphia. Pa. 
I want every onion grower to have Free 
Samples of our onion seed for testing. We 
think we have the best onion seed there is, 
and we supply lots of the largest growers. We 
would like to supply you. We haye an enor¬ 
mous crop of-onion seed this year in the best 
commercial varieties and can make special 
prices to good buyers. Tell us how many 
acres you are going to plant in onions and what 
varieties, and we will send you liberal free 
samples of our seed for testing and quote you 
special prices. Box 26 Shenandoah, Iowa 
Henry Field Seed Company 
V, ^ 
*Ihe New Modern Litter Carrier 
is the greatest time and labor saver for barns and stables—carries the manure away from 
buildings and one man can do the work quicker 
than two can without it. Figure out the sav¬ 
ing in dollars and cents this saving would 
mean to you in the course of one year—our 
carriers with ordinary care will last a lifetime. 
Once installed in your buildings you would 
not be without it for many times the cost. 
•.The “NEW MODERN” 
as the name implies, is the most practical and 
up-to-date carrier on the market. It has 
double trolley and double chain hoist, easy to 
operate and nothing to got out of order. We 
also make a special carrier for carrying 
ensilage from silo to stable. 
OUR “NEW MODERN” 
SWING CATTLE STANCHIONS 
with individual mangers, WATERING 
BASINS, Etc., are superior to all others. 
If you want anything for a modern dairy barn, 
write us. Illustrated circulars showing all 
fixtures Free. Write us today. Address 
GLOR BROTHERS & WILLIS MFG. CO., Box 19, Attica, New York. 
Table Tools 
The temper of a carving knife 
should be unusual—so that 
the knife will cut easily 
without being worn out 
on the sharpening steel. 
Then, again, for easy carv¬ 
ing, the handle and the blade 
should be exactly balanced for nice work. 
These are qualities found in all Keen Kutter 
carving sets. 
KeeHtanm 
Table Cutlery 
—from the carving set to the table knives and 
forks—gives ideal table service. When next buy- 
ingcutlery be guided by the Keen Kutter name and 
trademark. It’s an absolute guarantee of quality. 
The Keen Kutter name and 
trademark a'so include a full 
line of tools, scissors and shears, 
razors and pocket-knives. 
If not at your dealer’s write us. 
SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY (INC.), 
ST- LOUIS AND NEW YORK, U. S. A. 
tei 
