New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-13
AGRICULTURE.
PLANTING THE LOCUST.
IBY A LONG ISLAND FARMER

wears on revising his Old nut, ne was suApiseu 10
a find his stakes soand and frm Being an observing
man be was led TO examine them and found that
tbev were of wood new to him. Again thoughtful.
no was led to ask, Why not raise such timber at
bomeS and his return was sgnalized by his planting
The locust tree: and III Importance. it was theme
4 No worthy the Poets Law as 1.-The planting of the
Appe-tIec" so beautifully sung by Bryant; Tor iacts
will Justify me IN saying that the annual grown OF
the Locust OF LOnh lSidhu Is Oh AI hOIe Naiue IHi
Arain: Tradition says those trees were planted
near the road leading from Glen Cove 10 DPssu,
and thence have been disseminated all the locust
groves of Long Island This may be true, OF nlaI
not: but know that the largest LOcus-tTees . ao
saw We're in Virginia, and the OGeSt-IoVhinns fL3
are on Long Island along that road and, II sHga Ut
depression may be excused would say t1 tt ut ot
avenue is q glorious monument TO the gOOu tas'9
those Grand old Oaks-Iickores, Chestnuts, SaSaiIs
and LOc;st-and. one rides beneath their towering
arches shaded from the MONDAY sum- ne Turns Win
Isl regret 10 the hot and dusty highway where no ptg
= ing ear has heard the entreatlng cry " oodman'
Si - pretty long introduction to Forest-C Culture
on Long Island but wanted to show how smau d
seed had produced so large crop. , Ill,
The owner George Doughty OF the farm on WhlCn
Inow reside, many years ago became lpIessedp Nth
the value of the timber OF the Locust anu VIZ
great energy set abOnt its culture Ior prom. 80 a
commenced in small way. by obtaining lew IIees
xvnod had been cutoff where it found they did
The best: and as they grew and threw up snckeIe'
these were IN turn set ont ms PICcSss oog S4mi
y
in n nursery carefully cared for; and, When large
enough they were IN turn set IN the WOODS n,
The land mostly chosen TO plant was the so,citilcu
worthless Bac -bone of Long Island" which then
could be bought for from S5 to SO per acre ana was
usually covered by Young growth oil fne natuIai
timber. which was all cut on, anu Locust-t1TIes
TIan+ed and after four five years there would De
= thickct OF dogwoOd oak. &c. At the end OF that
fine the AK again went over and cut on every
thing The Locust whose roots are great runners,
being now firmly established would send up an I'M
mense quantity OF plants so lhaI; where olIsansihg
set at twenty feet apart they would now cover tue
ground sufficiently thick TO form forest oil them
selves. But the hardy DO2wOod was ready 1Or an
even starr, and would strive for the Ieau ana u
might have been a question which would get ahead,
but the ever-viglant hand of the master ready to
protect its favorites would again be raised ana TINS
| time the Locust only would DO spared; ana again
in five years would it be cleared; after which, IL
| would be left to care for itself -
/ Many hard days work can ne tell OF, Ihat naS
4 come to naught One lot of IS acres, upon Whlcn
4 had been set over 10000 trees, which were al
killed by drOuth the first Summer; but failure only
strengthened his perseverance, and tne next oprhg'
other TO- 90 we're set the same ground; and this
| time the effort was crowned with success.
Now the net result of all this persistent effort u.s.
dat land which was bought 20 years ago Tor so per
arrs had wood enough cut off TO pay for the land;
land to-day has Locust enough on 1t 10 sell Tor SLOW to
k2OO per acre. aud leave the land IN the best condl
Iuon for another growth. From one lot, planted 80
Wears ago on land worth SIS peTacre the timber was
sOld for 500 per acre: the purchaser dong all the
work. Thus, the persistent efforts of one man nave
lowered over 100 acres with Locust which, on land
InOt worth SIS per for agricultural purposes is
now worth from so to $50 per acre; and. when
Locust is once planted there is danger OF its run
lining out, like the California volunteer crops, but
lit will increase with each renewal.
4 The uses of Locust are very numerous. wherever
Tasting qualities and strength are required: 1t beng
Ibe strongest wood grown at the North its tensile
Isrength being 2O,5Cl pounds TO the square men,
while best American White Oak is only II, 900 pounds
per inch Ilaswell, eDglneerngh OF but Ilttie over
OnehaH Our Locust has more than double the
strength of English White Oak, which is 10000
pounds per square inch Its great strength makes IL
particularly desirable for treenails so that there is
not wooden ship that sails out OF New-lorR harDoI
that is not fastened with locust tTeenai ah 30
1.-THE same lasting wood. There is also good demand
Nor Locust treenails for exports: one hrm sending
many thousands each year to Russia, France ana
On the Island, it is largely used for fencing for
Ehich il is particularly yaluabe Locust posts and
hood Chestnut rails making fence that will stand
from q to 80 years without further trouble III also
ilakes the best of wagon-hubs L.-.
Ii is usually considered the most prOhtaDle TO cut
his timber at about eight or nine inches diameter;
Then it is sold for posts cut u feet long whlch WIZ
mig SOC to 5Cc per post according 20 tel SLe az
Larger timber is valuable but IT increases less
lpidly after passing 10 inches diameter and large
lYy father was once offered $50 for tree that stood
~ar bis door and had made Its growth IN ~ years
ne tree still stands
I&iuable, fast-grOwing tree. IL hOurishes on any
10y SOIL hut an old forest is preferable for planting
nd every rocky hillside can be turned to profitable
Why will not people wake up to the Importance OF
I0lhvatng our foressf In Germany, Government
PLANTS and for its forests as ours does Tor It's
Iedreu and the time is coming when, IL ours Is LOT
Ieared for, we will suffer for the need OF 1T.
The conclusion arrived at by planting one hundred
lses of Locust are these: The tree that is planted
rarely succeeds well itself; but after the roots are
lonee established, cut TO the ground the suckers
Thrown up from the thrifty tree.
Trees from the seed are less valuable than tnose
kNown from roots. There two kinds OF LOcnst
White and Yelow-the White being great seeder
1.-THE Yellow seldom seeding much, though nave
Iseen them bear quite large crops occasionally; put
li1S is the exception Persons buying seed would DO
likely to get the seed most easily obtained and un
reliable, as the White is comparatively worthless
Last Spring. a friend Of mine owning land in
khautauqua County N.Y., being desirOus of planting
HOcust came here Tor seed and we looked through
THE entire wood and found not seed; but Locust
he must have; So in the Spring, dug him lot of
ltrees and having had some experience In propagat
hng the Blackberry from root cuttings, thought at
would do equally well for Locust; 80 pulled up
Pong roots the size Of my finger and less, which were
ut up three or four inches long and were planted IN
the trees and think that little bits of roots buried
laer the original wood is cut OIL, will prove easy
way TO propagate this valuable, profitable, and
Eqnok- growing umbeT,s and this idea Will greatly
Enpfy and lessen the expense Of planting it in the
lfI West. thousands of the Tootlets could be
Packed in few cubic feet of box with little moss,
and be sent across the continent, 70 be planted
aAe slopes of the Rocky Mountains or the shores of
fte Great Salt Lake, OF, in fact, anywhere where
sod quick growing lasting TIMBER is required
Which is as widespread as our great country.
Fearing that this letter is too long, my apology is
hat am enthusiastic admrer OF the Locust, and
would like to impress 10Y feelings On others. .
Queens Co., NJ ia Feb, 1869 N hALLocK.
e....z ,. ..a "a CO.
Sudden DEATHS OF CATTLE, HORSES, &C.
10 the Editor Of The Tribune. asrr
SIR: The newspapers often inform us Of
sse sudden, and as they usually considered, mystic
Fous deaths allude TO the matter more on account