Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-12-05

tends over large extent of country,
and many years, does not confirm
Mr.. Griffith's opinion that the locust
is "erratic" in its growth, as find it
flourishing on great variety Of soils,
and under varying conditions. l
think limestone clay suits it best,
but it grows on all the soils of Ohio at
least. One other thing which makes
it valuable, is that bluegrass seems
to grow even better in a closely-shad-
ed locust grove than in the open field.
and in five years after planting Il
grove, you can have bluegrass
sward that will pay Il good interest
on the cost of land and timber. All
the locust plantations | am familiar
with are set with a velvet blue grass
turf, which, being protected by the
trees, gives the earliest pasture on
the farm, and then starts with the
fall rains and gives green feed until
the snow flies and the ground freezes.
During the past few years, many
farms have been sold;in Southwestern
Ohio at from $50 to $50 per acre,
which, if planted in locust timber,
would inside of twenty years yield
several hundred dollars an acre in
posts, and then make a second
growth much quicker than the first
grew. AS an example, a ten-acye
grove, less than mile from my
house, was cut off and marketed be-
tween 1860 and 1870. The man who
then owned it has long been dead,
and | cannot ascertain what the posts
brought him, but know it was Il
large sum; but in just eleven years
after it was first cut off, the present
owner began selling posts from it
from the second growth. That was
in 1879, and he has had a regular in
come from it every year since. In
1888, at my request, he examined his
books, and found that in four years
he had cut and sold 6,60S posts and
stakes from the ten acres, which
brought $991.20, an average of about
fifteen cents, and every year since he
has cut and sold large quantities OF
posts. l know that these ten acres,
! most of which is steep hillside unfit
for cultivation, have for twelve years
} given more profit than the ninety
2 level acres of the farm which have
f been under cultivation. In 1867, g
near neighbOr of mine cut down q
, row of 80 locust trees, planted closely
} along the north Lac Of his farm
5 The row was but 20 rods long, and
: had been growing about % years
S and he got from it 400 good posts
= worth % cents each; 600 fence stakes
, worth 5 cents each, and enough
a wood to pay the cost of cutting anC
t splitting the posts. From the growth
= of this grove, the present owner 0
y the farm has cut all the posts needed
= to keep up the fences on farm of Is,
i acres, and now has 200 posts rickeC
up and seasoned for future use. A
: these trees occupy only a fourth acr
J, of land, it is easy to see that it ha
: been avery profitable spot.
:, One of the best things about tn
re locust,is that one planting answers 70
l. a lifetime, and probably for centur
j. morore; for just as soon as grow
If is cut off it at once sends up a ney
crop, and these having the advantag
of the old roots, grow very rapidly
and will be large enough to cut fC
posts some years quicker than 20
can grow them from seed. / eXamir
Is ed a grove of two acres on which tn
t. trees had been cut eleven years prC
r viously, and l found that each stun
IL had from three to seven sprouts, tn
t, largest of which were then being Gu
I'd and this thinning process went on fC
e, several years, until all but one {
g. these sprouts to each stump was Gu
"a which left enough trees to make
a dense forest. In the thirteenth yea
us of its growth there were 400 posts CT
he from the two acres.
ut Butler CO.,O. WALDO Thrown.
ce - 80.
- ABERDEEN, o., July q, 1891.
- MEsSRS. IIPPNIAN BROS, Savannah. Ga,