VOL. LX.
INDIANAPOLIS, MARCH |8,1905.
NO. n
PLANTING GROVES AND POST
TIMBER.
Editors Inrllana Farmer:
In the Indiana Farmer bearing date of
February 25th, on page 3 appeared an
article entitled: "Planting Groves and
Post Timber," written in reply to a query
as to the kinds of (trees best suited for
planting a grove on the farm, and also for
post timber, etc.
The answer given was brief, and to the
point and the advice excellent, all pointing in the right direction. The purpose of this talk is not to question, but
to amplify.
The black locust, often called yellow
locust, both being one and the same, and
hardy catalpa are the two best trees for
the farmer or tree planter for purposes
of utility, in the entire tree list,—particularly flor posts, poles of all kinds or railroad ties. They can be- grown with
less trouble, in less time, and will last
longer than any other timber for these
purposes.
The locust will last much longer than
oak, and grow in less than- half the time.
Tne hardy catalpa will live in the ground
nearly three times as long as white oak,
and grow nearly as fast as locust. From
an 'economic view one of these posts is
..worth more than 4 times as much a= one
of oak.
The hardy catalpa when dry is not so
hard   as   locust. It   will   receive  and
yield up nails far more readily, and is
rather longer lived. Indeed the life of
the  hardy  catalpa   is  remarkable. In
the Forestry Building at the St. Louis
Exposition were to be seen railroad ties
that had been in constant use more than
30 years, telegraph poles that had stood in
the ground an equal length of time and
fence rails that were over 80 years old.
On the other hand it is easier to obtain
the black locust for planting than the
hardy catalpa. \t one buys black locust he knows what he is getting, for
there is only one variety. No so of
catalpa. There are two species of catalpa indiginous to the Mississippi valley
—the hardy and the tender; the northern
and  the  southern. In  the  books   the
hardy is called "catalpa speciosa;" the
other, "catalpa bignoniodies." The former is tall and upright; the latter short
bodied, wide spreading, running to limbs,
and hence is practically useless, except for
shade.
To the reader, at first blush, this may
seem mere detail. Not so. These two
varieties of catalpa, the one offlnestimable
value, the other so inexpressibly worthless for the farms, are so mixed up in our
nurseries and seed houses, that it is next
to impossible to procure either seed or
stock true to name. Only an expert can
tell the seed apart, and not one in ten
thousand can distinguish them in the nursery row. The seed is mostly gathered
by any and evory bod3", without regard
to variety, and sold to seed men as Speciosa. The nurserymen buy it, plant it
and sell it as such. The chances of a
mistake by the planter are many to one,
un-less he knows beyond question. The
surest way is to buy stock of a firm which
gathers its own seed. A mistake at this
point meani the loss of years before discovery.
Another point of interest, to the planter,
is to know that for a large patch of
trees set 4x4 feet means 2722 trees to the
acre, which at an average price of 14
cents apiece, would mean an expenditure
of $381.15 per acre for stock; whereas
good seedlings in large quantities can be
had by the thousand for very little money,
temptingly low. But beware! Be suro
that everything is right before you pro-
cetil.
Denver, Colo. W. G. M. Stone.
—Bushels of catalpa speciosa seeds
might Le gathered along the streets of
Irvington, any fall.—Ed.
TIIE FARM SCHOOL.
Kdltorrs Indltrna Farmer:
Present life is us full of mystery as
future life; and all those who doubt tho
futuro life are simply half weighing the
question.
Tho egg, the seed, tlio spore, or the
cell, that con-tains the germ of a living
being is so unlike the being it produces
that wo might well say such development
is  impossible. The   microscope  shows
not a single organ in the egg, and yet
the living creature comes out aftor the
requisite application of warmth. Heat
is this shown to be neoessary to vitality;
and, in the growth of seeds, so is moisture. An-r) we do not know how much
is also due to the action of electricity, or
light, or ozone, or any other influence. We
know the element of patience enters into
the matter, and that a very slight ab-
wnee of any of these conditions will bo
fatal.
For instance: If the eggs in the nest
are exposed to the cold for a half hour
the egg is "chilled to death" as we say.
Lifo is a force under which organic bodies are developed; and, while present i-r
the organism, it endows the organs with
mysterious and wonderful properties and
powers. For instance: Life in a tree
causes all the cells and ducts and leaves
and root-fibers to act; and their action
preserves them from decay. When life
ceases, all these organs suspend action,
and immediately the properties of tho
body are changed.
Tn animal bodies, it is quito as remarkable. While there is life in the body,
all cells and tissues will remain capable
of action-. Foods  are  digested,    Iblood
flows, liquids are absorbed, excreted,
chemically altered or changed into solids
or gases, in ways mo«t wonderful, heat being produced and life's operation works
the marvel of perpetual motion.
The muscle on the upper arm, for instance is so attached to the bone of tho
fore-arm ns to constitute the foro-nrm a
lever of tbe third class. A strong man
can easily lift a pail of water weighing
50 p.vinds nnd as the two "arms" of the
lever are in proportion as _J_ inches to 12
or J", the weight on the longer portion
of the member would require in the muscle power according to this proportion:
I'owcr; weight; weight arm; power arm.
That is the strength exerted by the muscle is to the 50 pounds as 12 or 13 inches
I is to 11,4 inches. P. 50 pounds: 12 or Is*1/*
j equals 400 to 434 pounds. That is the
i muscle of the arm, alive, has strength
j to sustain five hundred pounds; whereas,
if dead, like    a piece of    lean    beef, 40
FIRST   HOOK SECOND   FLOOR.
Plans of Farm Residence, copyrighted by    Co-operative Building Plan
.Association, New York City.
Width 21 feet 0 inches, length including veranda, 52  feet 0 inches; cellar
feet, first story 10 feet and 2d story 9 feet high.    Foundation brick;    outside dropp-   pounds would pull it in two.       Who will
ed siding; blinds to all windows except cellar; shingle roof.        Outside pale buff   account for the mystery of such an im-
paint, blinds dark    green.    Shingles dipped and brush coated dark green.     Size of ! partation of strength?
rooms, closets, bath rooms, etc., shown in plans.    Cellar under main part of house, i    Moreover   when   life  leaves  the   body
No fireplaces tout brick flues, and mantels in parlor and living rooms.        Attic finished but floored for storage.      Sliding doors connect principal  rooms and  hall of
first story.        Cost at New York prices $2,200,   including heater  and .cook  range.
Could be built in central    western states one to two hundred less.
say S10. a thousand—possibly less, for
pure speciosa plants. It is difficult to
obtain the hardy variety for the reason
that the speciosa is a shy bearer, and
there are fewer trees of the pure variety
to gather from; besides, on account of the
shape of the other, and its being a profuse
beat also departs; and disintregation goes
forward with no arrangement for renewal.
.\11 this discussion is given to open the
— I way for a clear understanding of several
bearer, the seed gatherer is lured to the j matters that will come up in- farm science.
wrong source for seed; hence the danger, i On the farm as nowhere else, we have the
If you plant    catalpa, which, for    the | play of Chemistry and Philosophy.
greatest utility is the very tree you should
plant, beware of the tender variety. It
will be offered you in "sheep's clothing,"
by honest men, labeled speciosa, at prices
In my next paper, I will discuss some of
the wonders of chemistry; endeavoring to
treat the subject in language free from
technicalities. Walter   S.   Smith.