THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
31 
gathered, as they are nearer the ground, but the pods of the 
speciosa are more scattered and higher up. 
GROWING FROM SEED. 
The seeds may be gathered at any time during the winter, 
but it is advisable to secure them as soon as the leaves fall in 
order to prevent loss by the opening of the pods. The seeds 
should be kept over winter in a dry, cool place. They are 
to be sown about the first of May, or as soon as the ground 
is in good condition;” “Soil that is rather better than the 
average should be taken for a seed bed and it needs to be put 
in good condition by careful plowing and harrowing. The 
seed is to be sown in drills, made with a hoe or a small hand 
cultivator with a single tooth. Scatter the seed in the drills 
about an inch apart, or even closer, and cover not more than 
half an inch with mellow soil. The rows may be eighteen 
inches apart for hand cultivation or far enough to work with a 
horse. Keep the ground free from weeds during the summer. 
In the fall the trees ought to be from one to two feet in 
height and a little larger than a lead pencil. They may be 
transplanted in the fall on sandy soil but on account of heav¬ 
ing out during the winter it is safer to defer transplanting 
until spring. The seedlings may be allowed to stand in the 
seed bed during the winter but it is better to take them up in 
the fall and heel them in, selecting a spot where water will 
not stand. 
If the field which is chosen for the permanent plantation is 
tillable it should be put in as good condition as for any farm 
crop and the trees planted during April or May. In well per- 
pared ground planting is a simple mattter. 
PLANTING. 
Thrust a spade the full length of the blade into the ground 
and work it back and forth, thus making a hole for the tree. 
If the root is too long for a hole of this depth cut it off so that 
the tree may stand about as deep in the soil as it stood before. 
Place the roots of the tree in the hole and thrust the spade in 
again two or three inches to one side and press the soil firmly 
against the roots and then fill the hole with the spade or feet. 
Bring the feet together on either side of the tree and firm the 
soil well by tramping. 
A crop of corn or potatoes may be grown between the trees 
the first season, and the cultivation which is necessary for the 
crop will be sufficient for the trees. The second season a crop 
may be grown between the trees also, but as the trees will shade 
the ground considerably there is not much to be gained by 
cropping, especially when the difficulty of plowing the ground 
is considered. In most cases a better plan would be to work 
the ground first with a disk harrow and then continue the 
remainder of the season with a common harrow.” This plan 
might be modified by sowing crimson clover in August or 
September, or cow peas or soy beans in June or July. 
Whatever crop is sown it should be one of the legumes and it 
need not be turned under. 
AFTER CULTIVATION. 
The third season cultivation may be impracticable, although 
in some cases it may be continued the same as in the second. 
The growth of the trees will determine the matter largely, but 
in case a start of crimson clover has been secured it would be 
well to leave it undisturbed. 
After the first season cultivation should be shallow so as not 
to mutilate the roots of the trees, and should be so managed as 
to conserve moisture to the greatest possible extent. At the 
end of the second season many of the trees will be ten feet in 
height and two inches in diameter at the base. The roots of 
such trees will meet and pass in the middle of the rows, filling 
the entire space with a network of rootlets. It is evident that 
cultivation must be done with care, also that moisture must not 
be allowed to waste. The condition needs only to be under¬ 
stood in order to realize the necessity of careful work. A cat- 
alpa grove cannot be treated in the same manner as a young 
orchard, as the growth is more rapid and the trees are closer 
together than fruit trees. In some cases cultivation may 
be impracticable, such as stony fields, newly cleared lands 
and steep hillsides. 
On stony ground and step hillsides the ideal method is to 
dig with a mattock a small space, about two feet square, where 
each tree is to stand, and then plant as advised in plowed 
ground. After planting, success is more certain if each tree is 
mulched with straw, or some material which will keep the 
ground moist. Seeding with clover, if practicable is advan¬ 
tageous also. 
On ground which is newly cleared the same method of plant¬ 
ing may be followed and clover seed sown, but the sprouts 
which start from the stumps of the trees which have been felled 
will need to be cut at least once during the season and may be 
thrown about the young trees to serve as a mulch. 
It is seldom advisable to plant catalpa trees where either 
mulching or cultivation cannot be practiced. Some of the 
trees may grow and make good specimens without care, but 
the result will not be satisfactory where no attention is given 
them. All live stock, except chickens, should be kept from 
the catalpa grove for at least three years, but after that hogs 
might not injure the trees, although we know of no groves 
having been used in this manner. In case shade for live stock 
is the primary object and timber the secondary, the catalpa is 
as suitable as any tree. 
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
Pruning is a matter of the utmost importance in growing 
catalpa trees. Much has been said regarding the necessity of 
securing forest conditions, i. e., the shading of the soil by means 
of a thick growth, in order to prevent the loss of moisture; to 
discourage the growth of grass and weeds; to kill off side 
branches and to insure an upright growth of the trees. 
This plan has been sufficiently tested to show its impractic¬ 
ability. A catalpa grove is as much an artificial product as an 
apple orchard. Forest conditions in a catalpa plantation can 
be secured only at the expense of growth. Artificial condi¬ 
tions are more economical, at least at first, but later, natural 
conditions may be better. 
A strawberry plant is often the worst weed in a strawberry 
bed and all surplus trees in a catalpa grove are weeds, or often 
worse than weeds. Trees can compete with grass and weeds 
far more successfully than with other trees, but competition of 
all kinds should be reduced to a minimum. Cultivation 
does this for other crops and it serves the same purpose 
for the catalpa. If one would grow a catalpa grove 
successfully he must reduce the struggle for existence to the 
lowest limit by artificial means. Side branches are more econ¬ 
omically removed by pruning than by close planting. 
