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Show I HORTICULTURE I I This Department is Edited by Prof. R. S. Northrop, A. C. U. IN CATALPA PLANTATIONS. Greater iskill and attention to details de-tails arc required to grow catalpa profitably than perhaps any other tree. In the first place, the seed of young trees must all be of the particular par-ticular species known as hardly catalpa; catal-pa; the others, for production of wood, arc not worth the planting. The isoil must be rich and rather moist, and must not contain too .much alkali. Whenever the young trees are making a low branching growth so that they will be unsuitcd for posts or poles they should be "cut back," that is, cut off close to the ground, when two or three years old, just as if they were large enough for market. Several; sprouts immediately imme-diately spring up from each stump and grow vigorously, and the competition com-petition for sunlight (stimulates height growth and encourages natural pruning. prun-ing. This enables the tree to form a straightcr stem with fewer branches. At the end of the season the sprout is nearly as tall as the three-year-old tree would have been. The many disappointments in growing grow-ing catalpa arc attributable to unfavorable unfav-orable site and stock of an inferior kind of catalpa. Crooked, limby trees also often result when the trees are not cut back, and where the limbs, after attaining some size, are broken off, decay enters and the heart rot so H injurious to the tree begins. H When trees arc cut back the planta- H lion .must be sprouted, cither by re- H moving the undesirable sprouts while H green, or by cutting them out the fol- H lowing winter with' an ax. All but the H strongest one or two sprouts are re- H moved. H After ten years under best condi- H tions the first crop has gained the H size at which it can be cut most pro- fitaibly for posts. Each tree should H then produce one first-class .post, H worth 12 or 14 cents, one second- H class post worth 8 cents, and two or H three -stays worth 3 cents each. From H the small and crooked! limbs consid- H crablc firewood is secured, which, in H a, large plantation is sawed irto stove H lengths and piled convenient for -ship- H 'ping at the same time that the posts H arc sawed. After all material of value H has been removed, men go through H the plantation with long poles which H are pushed ahead of them under the brush. When a considerable amount H has been collected the pole is tilted upright, forming a neat pile of brush, H for burning. The plantation is thus kept free from obstructions. A vig- H orous root -system has now developed, -H and future crops are grown from H sprouts in 8 years. H In catalpa, hcartwood forms early. H This is in marked contrast with -sonic H woods, black walnut for instance, H which contains but little hc'artv.ood H (Continued on pace 15) B IN CATALPA PLANTATIONS. (Continued from- page 3) until after the tree is fifty years old. On account of its tendency to mature early, catalpa; is especially adapted for wood crops of short rotation. Other favorable qualities lare its speedy growth, its power of enduring frequent fre-quent cutting back, and its light weight. The wood is strong, straight-grained, straight-grained, and durable. The Yaggy plantation, 4 miles northwest of Hutchinson, Kans., comprises com-prises 500 acres of cabalpa, and' is one of the most successful and profitable in the country. The trees are planted at intervals of four feet in rows six Ject apart, or 1800 to 1900 per acre. Thus, if each tree yielded posts to the value of 30 cents, an acre would yield $544.50 every six years. This does not include the firewood. Excellent shipping ship-ping facilities are afforded by two railway lines which run through the plantation and have established ai station sta-tion which is named for Mr. Yioggy. Connection is made with other railroads rail-roads at Hutchinso . Mr. Yaggy estimates es-timates the income from Lis ilantn-tion ilantn-tion for the first c, i to fc as follows fol-lows (the seedlings, were home grown): Interest on the investment, not included in these figures, should be considered, |