Garden
VOL. LXIII
-,'
INDIANAPOLIS  DEC.   5, 1908.
NO. 49
_
Kind of Trees for Timber.
Editors Indiana  Farmer:
So much is being sai.l about the scarcity
and high price of lumber, that many are
considering ihe advisability of planting
trees.
But what kind  of trees?
A few years ago when trees were plentiful on every farm we went to the woods
snd cut trees suited to our particular purpose.
Life is too short to grow oak, walnut,
poplar, hickory, ash, beech or sugar
maple. These trees are too slow of growtli
for the generation that plants them to use.
What we want is a tree that possesses the
virtues of these trees, and in addition one
that grows as rapidly as the Cottonwood.
But is there such a tree?
Well hardly, but there ===^=
is one that comes very
near it. It does not
grow quite as fast as
the Cottonwood, nor will
it split so well as the
oak perhaps.
It takes a polish equal
to Honduras mahogany
rnd is not liable to split
or warp, this makes it
'al'iable fur furniture.
11 is tough as hickory,
i" being very difficult to
break off even a dead
limb. This makes it valuable for wagon and
bnggy spokes and rintss,
also for ax handle,
folate handles, I) handles,
etc
It    makes      beautiful
veneer.      It   is      better
than  elm   for  hoops,   as
it bends easily and stays   ==^^=
bent.
Its breaking and crushing strength are
almost equal to oak, but its lasting qualities in the ground in this age of interur-
bans, telegraphs, telephones and posts for
the innumerable wire fences we must now
bnilsl, are what make it doubly valuable,
as. it has been known to last eighty-four
years as a post and thirty-two years as a
railroad tie.
And grow; it grows at the rate of an
in. h a year in diameter, up to twenty
years.
And what is this valuable tree?
The Catalpa Speciosa, a native of the
lower Wabash bottoms.
Will it grow well on upland, not so
rich as its native habitat?
Xsst quite so fast perhaps, but on tair
land, anywhere in the corn belt, it will
add to its diameter an inch a year up to
twenty years. Not many things are what
they seem. Shade trees, fruit trees and
nut trees die by thousands, or fail to grow
at the start, but not so the Catalpa. If
properly set they all grow. It's mass of
fibrous roots insures that. And if culti-
\ated for the first two or three years they
grow so rapidly as to astonish both grower and passerby.
On ground that will grow forty bushels of corn to the acre they should be set
about eight by five feet apart, in straight
rows.
In six to eight years they will be large
enough for posts, when every other row
each way should be cut out, leaving only
onsa-fourth of them standing. This leaves
two hundred and seventy trees standing in
rows ten by sixteen feet apart. At about
the age of fifteen years, cut out another
hundred of the poorest ones; this    leaves
one hundred and seventy trees, which in
tive years more should make interurban
polea,    worth at least ten ahsllars apiece.
Such a grove at any age is a beautiful
sight. So vigorous and thrifty and ful!
of promise. I do not know of a man who
has a grove two or more years old who
would let his trees be destroyed for the
price of the land adjoining of the lame
area.
One word of caution. Be sure you
get the true uprightjgrowing Catalpa sSpec-
iosa, and not the apple tree-shaped Catalpa Bignaides. The seeds of the first
ere difficult to gather and are high priced,
tlis' hitter are easy to gather and are cheap.
Be sure you know your nurseryman and
then go ahead. L. A.  Stockwell.
Marion Co, Ind.
Our Great  Farm Crops.
Secretary James Wilson recently de-
s lares] that "the greatest crop of America
is grass, then corn. Next after corn is
probably cotton; then come wheat aud
poultry running neck and neck. The prod-
net of the hen crop is now nearly as valuable as that of the wheat field."
In explaining why eggs are 40 cents a
dozen, he said:
"In the first place, the American people
eat a great many eggs, and in the second
place there are not enough people keeping
chickens and producing eggs. The price is
due to the law of supply and demand. If
twice tit many eggs were produced in the
United States they would be cheaper in
the market."
"What is the corn crop this year?" he
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Farm Home of O. S. Iiifncr, Henry Coun ty.
Improved   Waterways.
What helps Indianapolis should benefit
the State. Our Board of Trade, Commercial club, etc., agree in promoting The Improved Water Ways movement and says:
"Improved waterways mean more to Indianapolis than any other city.
"Improved waterways will regulate and
l educe freight rates.
'"Improved waterways will solve the
problems of Indianapolis's coal supply.
"Improved waterways will double Indianapolis's population in ten years.
"Improved waterways will treble
Indianapolis's present volume of business.
"Improved waterways will quadruple
Indianapolis real estate values.
"Improved waterways will do'ible the
number of manufacturing plants in Indianapolis.
"Improved waterways will save Indiaua
including Indianapolis, $40,000,000 a year
in transportation rates.
"Improved waterways are nine times
cheaper and eight times faster than railways."
Severe  on the  Smoker.
Prof. Elbert Russell of Earlham College
has this to say of the smoker:
"Xo man is a gentleman who smokes in
the presence of others. Women of ordinary self respect will not welcome the
company of those who use tobacco. The
use of tobacco, is a selfish luxury. All
arguments for tobacco break down when
one considers that a man would m?t have
his wife nse it. No self-respecting man
would permit his wife to smoke."
was asked. He replied: "The primary estimate of the crop reporting board of the
Department is 2,042,687,000 bushels of
com, as compared with $2,592,320,000
bushels the final estimate for 1907. The
average yield per acre is 2G.2 bushels,
>. hich compares with 25.9, the final estimate for 1907, and 25.0, the average for
the past ten years. The quality is Better
than ever as well as the quantity ansl is
86.9 compared with 82.8, in 1907, S4.:; the
average of the past ten years."
Here are the figures for our staple
crops:
Corn bushels 2,ft42,687,000
Wheat,  bushels      660,020,000
Oats,   bushels    7.89,161,000
Potatoes, bushels      274,660.000
Hay, fssns      G7,74.'i,000
Autos on tbe Farm.
\s. soiling to the best information of the
manufacturers and dealers there are more
than a thousand automobiles owned nnd
used by farmers in Indiana. Farmers
seem to have caught the spirit of doing
things quick as well ar town people. In
several instances we have heard of fanners starting to their nearest town markets
with tlieir butter, eggs and light articles
for market, at 6 a. m., and getting back
home for the farm work by 7:30. They
could not do that with Old Tom, and so to
do things quick the auto is rapidly going
to the fann. It seems to be catching all
over Indiana as well as in other States.
It is reported that there is a shortage
of 50 per cent of the usual hog supply of
Canada. Considering the terrific marketing in this country of unfinished hogs, including much of the breeding stock, we
shall have a big shortage next season.
Farmers' Libraries.
Editors Indiana  Farmer:
I was interested in Mr. Eslgarton's article on "The Farm Library," published in
a recent issue of the Indiana Farmer, and
heartily indorse every word it contains.
It would have added to the value of that
excellent paper, however had the writer
offered definite suggestions regarding the
books best suited to the needs of thefarmer.
I was once told by a thoughtful man,
that next to possessing a finished education is the knowledge of how and where to
obtain  desired  information.
Farmers are coming to an understaml-
ing of their own possibilities—they are
opening their minds for the reception of
needful knowledge; they are awakening to
a realization of the fact that old things are
==^=^= passing away, and that
he succeeds best who
possesses the widest information, the most comprehensive view, the
most varied experience
along the line of his
chosen profession. In
fact the farmer is Boding himself.
Again referring to
Mr. Edgarton's -article;
would it not be well to
publish in the Indiana
Farmer a carefully selected list of books thatl
are the most suited to
the practical use of tits'
farmer; books that ore
the most helpful to the
man of little leisure, who
has not previously devoted much time to tits'
study of scientific suV
===== jects, and yet wishes to
inform himself upon all subjects relative
t-. the intelligent management of the busi-
ne of his farm; books not so scientific as
to the intelligent management of the busi-
iti-ss of liis fann; books not so scientific as
to be Impractical or confusing to the average mind?
The scientific fanner, possessed of a college education knows where to obtain that
with which he may desire to supplement
his previously acquired knowledge; bit'
there is a vast army of men and women of
limited education who have chosen farming as an occupation. These are the pet-
sons who would derive the greatest bene
tit from such books.
The state library is sending traveling
libraries to all parts of the state. Tlu'so
libraries are within the reach of every
community for the mere cost of transportation, providing a repsonsible person will
take charge of them.
The state library officials are untiring in
their efforts to meet the needs of the i....-
ple and no doubt would willingly add smh
looks to their catalogue if requested to do
so.
In these days of onr awakening, win n
the agricultural colleges are doing all in
their power to properly educate young
men an.l women for farm life, there are
willing hands ever ready to help those
who cannot take advantage of these modern educational privileges and the traveling library is one of the easiest and least
expensive ways of doing this.
If well selected libraries were introduced
into every neighborhood where a permanent library is not maintained, and were
usesl to supplement small libraries, ami
farmers and their families would take advantage of them  there  would  soon be a