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Show THE CATALPA SPECI0SA. There Is perhaps no tarlety of hardwood hard-wood tree that has grown more rap-Idly rap-Idly In public favor during the past twenty years than the catalpa speclosa. This particular species ot the cotalpa seems to be the only one of the genus that Is of real merit, since other species spe-cies fall td form a tree that Is sjm-metrical sjm-metrical and suitable for lumber, poles and posts The speclosa has thick, rough bark which does not peel off like other specie, blooms two weeks earlier ear-lier and has larger nnd showier flowers, fewer in cluster. The seeds are longer nnd larger than ln other species and the wings nre tipped tvlth a brush of hairs that stand out prominently. Thesp distinguishing characteristics should be borne in mind by persons contemplating planting the seeds, as it Is hardlj advisable to depend upon seeds or seedlings procured at random ran-dom Investigations made by II. r. Roberts, Rob-erts, botanist nt the Kansas experiment experi-ment station, tend to adi to the popularity popu-larity and value of the catalpa epeiosa ln an economic sense. Prof, Roberts gites In detail tho botanical history nnd description of the tree and publishes numerous authentic accounts of the great durability of the timber. The bulletin says: Out of the tart mass of testimony on this point It will suffice to cite a few authorities. In the Indiana geological survey for 1873, paBe t61, Prof. John Collet mentions men-tions an lnstanco of a catalpa gatepost set In the ground near a schoolhouse in 1780, which, when cut up for firewood fire-wood In 1871, tvns found still to bo ln fair condition. lie further statea that catalpa posts, set by Gen. Harrison about the Governors residence ln 1S0S, "were taken up a few years ago, nnd, being bound, tvere reset ln another place" Prof. T. J. Burrlll of the University of Illinois obtained ln 1676 boards from a catalpa log two feet In diameter, which, according to testimony considered consid-ered reliable by him, hod lain on the ground about twelve miles from Cairo, 111 , for a period of one hundred ears. In response to nn Inquiry, Dr. Burrlll Bur-rlll confirms the fact Just recited ln a letter dated February 21, 1902, ns follows- ' Refcrrlns to tho statement published pub-lished in 1879 by Mr. E. E Barney, I will say that I did secure from the Mississippi Mis-sissippi river bottoms, ln Alexander county, Illinois, boards sixteen feet long and eighteen Inches wide, which had been cut fiom a log having lain nn th ffrr.iinfi fit. tensf one hundred years This log was lying across a. stream, and had been used ns a. footbridge. foot-bridge. The gentleman ot whom I secured se-cured the boards had himself known of the log In Its position for sixty years, and Ills father had reported It as being be-ing ln thnt position forty years previous pre-vious to the knowledge of my Informant. Inform-ant. Tho sap-wood had disappeared and there was about nn Inch of decayed de-cayed tvood on the outside. The center, cen-ter, however, was entirely sounl nnd still susceptible of taking a good polish pol-ish Some of these boards were shown at the Philadelphia Centennial exposition expo-sition Whllo collecting for this exposition I found logs which had been burled In on embankment of some kind, and were protruding from the earth, In a grade made by the Illinois Central railroad rail-road This was In 1875 The cut by the railroad had been made sixteen or eighteen years before How long the logs had been under tho earth cannot be told I identified the wood, however, how-ever, ns catalpa They tvere too badly decayed to be used for exhibition purposes, pur-poses, hut there was still n good deal of sound tvood In the longs Some stockades stock-ades In southern Illinois made in part of catalpa trees shows also the durable quality of this wood In connection with moist earth Some of these timbers nre known to hav e remained sound In earth for Blxty tears" It Is reported by Mr E E Barney, In a pamphlet entitled 'Additional Tacts nnd Information In Delation to the Catalpa Tree," etc (1TO) page 5, that, according to old residents of Vln-cennes, Vln-cennes, Ind , ' tho old stockndo built by tho first French settlers of thnt place was largelj from catalpa trees which grow native In the forests there, nnd that when removed from the ground, nearly nno hundred years after af-ter they had been st, were perfectly sound and goto no Indications of de-ca de-ca ' He furthei says (some page) "Largo catalpa. tree a back of New Madrid, on tho Mississippi river, in southeastern Missouri killed by erup-tlnns erup-tlnns In 1811, I am Informed In n letter teccived August 10th from a gentleman living there, are still standing er-fectly er-fectly sound nfter sixty years, nnd to use his expression plenty of them ' Ono of these wns recently cut down nnd seven feet of the butt nnd seven feet of the top sent to me Tho top though worn to i point by the action of the wind nnd rain Is perfectly sound Tho butt, though showing on tho outside the result of long exros-urc, exros-urc, Is ns sound as It wbb sixty -nine years ago, when killed by the eruption erup-tion " The bulletin contains msny more tes-tlmonlals tes-tlmonlals as to the durability of ihe catalpa in tarlous uses both underground under-ground and In exposed oltuallnns The great points to tho Inhabitants of the Inter-mountain country is that tho catalpa speclosa Is a most valu nble tree to plant, whether considere I for Immediate (iso or fur p utility Tho question of fence posts alone one of grate Importance to tho people of this section The supply of cedar posts la rapidly diminishing and iho demand still moro rapidly In, nosing vUth Iho conversion of the mlllhns of acres of hill lauds Into pastures that will surely tako place during the next decade, tho demand fcr suitable feme posts will be simply enormous It la I none too oon for farmers and stock. men to begin looking to the future on this question. It Is highly probable that no other tree so suitable as the catalpa can be found. It Is, therefore, Important that attention be given to the growing of seedlings for the pur-pose pur-pose of making a permanent plantation. planta-tion. The seeds should be gathered from trees known to be of tho proper variety, and that may be done to some extent near home, for ther ore now many trees of tho speclosa growing ln Utah and Idaho. The reed should be drilled In like coin to a depth of about one Inch early In the spring, tho soli hating been plowed and subsolled and put In as fine condition as for sugar beets Tho young plants should have thorough cultltation during the first season and they should make a growth of about two feet When tho leaves drop tn the fall the young trees should be dug and heeled in for the winter, being entirely cot ered and protected from standing tvater. The following spring the young trees should be planted plant-ed In rows about eight feet apart each way. Clean cultivation should be given The ground for the permanent plantation planta-tion should be In fine condition, very much the same as for orchard planting plant-ing Irrigation of the catalpa should be by means of deep furrows The trees should be pruned In order to secure se-cure a straight trunk. After five years, If posts nre desired, the trees should bo cut off near the ground, which treatment will cause numcroua and vigorous shoots to como out. At the timo of first cutting off the trunks each nlternate tree In the plantation should be removed, thus giving strength of soil for the remaining roots. From nn economic standpoint It Is doubtful If nny more profitable use could bo made of land than to plant It to catalpa trees The coming generations genera-tions would certainly hate reason to bo grateful to etery man who today plants out a goodly number of the catalpa ca-talpa specioa- |