The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-31
SAVE The TREES.
Secretary of National Society of
Arboricultnre Visits Topeka.
Advocates Planting Vast Forests
of Catalpas.
INTEREST RAILROADS.
Companies Planting Trees to
INTEREST RAILROADS.
Companies Planting Trees to
Furnish Their Ties.
Hopes to Secure Favorable Leg
islation Through Congress.

John P. Brown, who is secretary of
the Internatioa1 Society of Arboricul-
ture, but who might be called 1.-The
father Of catalpa tree culture" has left
Topeka after visiting for a few days
with George Tincher and family.
Mr.. Brown is a formerly of kansas
man, and planted the scores Of maple
trees which now adorn the Bethany
campus He now lives at Connersville.
Ind. and the work which he has under
taken is a peculiar one in many re-
spects
He believes that climate is being
changed by the destruction OF forests;
that lands are being rendered arid end
vaIueless and that the fertile American
farms of former days are rapidly APP
preaching the desolate condition of
Palestine He advocates the planting
of vast forests of catalpa trees, which
he says will reclaim arid lands, cause
the climate to become more salubrious,
and stop the hot summer winds of the
western prairies- He hopes to acconip-
lish this object by first interesting thes
railroads, next the government, and
lastly the farmers
Railroads are already taking a great
interest in this work. said Mr.. Brown
to a reporter for the State Journal, as
he took from his pocket big wallet
stuffed full of annual passes from rail
roads all over the United States 'sThey
give me these passes because they e.
alize that my work is of Importance
and value to them. Among the roads
which are now experimenting with
catalpa trees, and have planted from
10, 900 to 100000 of the trees as test
might be mentioned the Pennsylvania,
the Memphis, the Rio Grande Western,
the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg,
l am now on my way to interview the
president of the Fort Worth & Denver
road, who has made an appointment to
meet me and have this work explained
to him.
Railroads are interested in catalpa
tree culture because catalpa wood makes
excellent ties. and ties are becoming
very scarce. A catalpa tree twelve
old makes three ties, twenty years old
makes five ties Ties are now worth
about so cents apiece, and ten to fifteen
years from now are likely to be worth
double that amount. The supply of ties
is very limited.
1.-THE Santa Fe road has not taken
any action in this matter, because Pres
ident Ripley is opposed to the plan.
Every other official is favorable to it,
but President Ripley thinks that it is the
exclusive business of the road to attend
to transportation matters, and look to
other sources for its supplies of ties and
such material. The Rock Island road
has as yet done nothing, but it holding
the matter under consideration.
am the especial advocate OIL IuS
catalpa tree because it will grow any
where in the United States, and will |
grow rapidly. Topeka is the natural |
home for catalpa trees. 1t has more of |
them, perhaps, than any other city in |
the United States of the same size. |
am constantly telling people about the |
catalpa trees of Topeka. People who |
plant catalpa trees should be sure to |
get the catalpa speciosa, and not the |
bignonoides, or southern catal- |
pa The latter are worthless, and will |
not grow well or rapidly. I think the |
Topeka nurseries are supplied with the |
speciosa. The demand for
is already greater than the |
supply. There would be 5000, 900 seed
lings used next spring if they could be |
furnished by growers.
81 advocate planting catalpas on the
farm 1t is the most profitable crop
Every farmer should devote a tenth of
his farm to cataipa trees. 1t forms an
excellent shelter for cattle and in 16 |
years shows a bigger return than can
be obtained from cereal crops for the
same time. For example, we plant $50
catalpa trees to the acre. At the end of
eight years, we thin the trees. taking
out SO of the $50 for posts. That leaves
just one-fourth to grow into ties. The
$40 posts we can sell for 10 cents apiece,
Or SOL to the acre At the end of Is
years, we can get three ties from each |
Of the remaining 40 trees, which at 81
cents each would be $685. or a total of
1906 an acre received without any ex-
pense except for the original planting. |
trees require care after the |
third fourth year. They are sure to
grow.
IF every farmer should set out ten
acres of catalpa trees, the hot winds of |
the west would no longer be heard of.