Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-08-24
YELLOW LOCUST.
One of Our Most Valuable
Trees.
HARDER THAN HIckoRy
Capable OF n Fine Finish In OIL
"A Beautifnl Tree-A Fast
Grower.

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over the United States. The wood is
exceedingly hard, like iron-wood. and
much more durable than Eastern
hickory, which is SO extensively used for
the manufacture Of wagons of every
kind. The locust treo has beautiful,
fragrant blossom in the summer, after
which the pods are formed, picked. and
the seed gathered for further planting OF
this profitable tree, which is easily
raised, and is fast grower. The ordin.
sry locust tree is good, but from long
growth without changing the seed, it
becomes uncouth and scraggy. A much
better tree to plant. is the Yellow Locust,
much raised in many portions Of Texas,
where ii is valuable tree crop, aud in
other places, where the tree also
grows wild, but is straight as an arrow,
and hard as wood can be, without the
scragginess Of the ordinary locust tree.
The seed for this tree can be obtained
at nominal price at any firstclsss seed
house in the East. This tree grows
faster than the ordinary locust, and
with good cultivation in fair soil, will
grow several feet in height in q single
year, and about twenty feet high in
Southern California in three years, or
over thirty feet in four years from plant
ing the seed. Then it is time to cut
them short distance from the ground,
the trees growing up again, similar
| to the Eucaly ptus, not SO fast. but
stronger. When the bark IL stripped
oft is valuable as fuel-and the
wood is seasoned till 1t becomes wonder
fully hard, with an exceptionally fine
grain, and taking better aud more
durable polish than any other tree
grown in the United States.
| These trees are generally planted
eight feet apart, or 6.750 trees on ten
acre tract Of land, which is not neces-
sarily first.class, but good tree land.
These trees have been planted on the
desert, and when protected from wild
beast pests, have been very profitable.
But It is better to plant them in land
where there are no pests to destroy
them, as are found ON the desert. Prop
erly managed, the expense being less
and the receipts greater, the profit ia
very large in proportion to the invest.
ment. The product Of the four years
growth of the trees. is considerable,
and sufficient to last four
years, until the next cutting. and so on
for many years, leaving splendid forest
to posterity Anyone, with any kind OF
suitable land--and ten acres is not much
out Of farm--can get nicely fixed by q
little attention to this matter. By oiline
and preserving the wood. and selling il
to cabinet makers and Others desiring q
handsome, polished wood, with beau
tiful grain, an immense profit can be as
sured.
The process is very simple. The sea.
soned wood is dipped about an hour in
boiling oil, such as is used by ornamental
wood workers, and thus becomes thor
oughly impregnated. 1t is then partially
dried, after which it is hard finished, fol-
lowed by the application of the French
polish, by which the wood is rendered
valuable in every way. In this condi-
ton it is impervious to hot grease and
other substances which leave stain on
some handsome, well. grained woods, not
so hard and durable as the yellow locust.
In this condition it is almost everlasting,
and when the grain is straight and not
particularly adapted to fac furniture,
the wood, as prepared. is used as floors
in dining and smoking rooms in elegant
residences. never requiring any labor
except a daily light scrubbing with q
moist cloth, removing any dust, while it
does not affect the polish or permanency
Of the four, if contiaued for many
years.
Any Of our farmers. vino have ten
acres of land to spare, for the planting
of the seeds Of this rapidly growing tree,
can with great ease, by proper applica-
ton get rich by the growth and sale Of
this exceedingly valuable wood. The
demand for this wood is far greater than
the supply. On the Pacific coast, in
many favored localities, there is . fortune
for anyone who will start into this
business, study it well and continue it
where this lumber brings the topmost
prices as permanency.