The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-06
.CATALPA SPEC|OSA MAY
RET|MBER THE EARTH
Is Known in Some Portions of In
diana and Illinois as the
Cigar" Tree.
HARDY AND VALUABLE

ST. LOUIS. March 5.-Arboriculturists. be-
lieving that they have found in the catalpa
speciosa a quickgrowing and valuable tim
Der with which they can clothe with foliage
the barren wastes of the world. have Sc
cured space for exhibit in the department
of forestry at the worlds fair TO be in
stalled by the International Society of Ar
Horticulture, of which Mr.. John P. Brown, Of
Connersville, Ind, is secretary.
A wedge taken from a sixteen-year-old
tree near Hagerstown, Ind. shows remark
able growth and firm character of the wood.
This tree was twenty-three inches in dia-
meter and from its trunk could be made
five ordinary railroad crossties. From root
TO limb the body is straight and regular
and it is sound from center TO circumfer-
ence. Think of a twenty one-inch tree in
sixteen years from the seed! In maturity
the trees reach height of 100 feet and
measure six feet in diameter.
The value of the catalpa wood is very
great and it's uses varied. 1t is susceptible
to fine polish for the inside furnishing of
houses and possesses the quality of great
durability, making it also available for rail-
way crossties, telegraph poles and other Sc
we're uses.
For nearly century interest has been
taken in it's culture, seed from its cigar
shaped pod being sown in the nursery and
the shoot transplanted in its first year to
| hillside or plain, where it thrives with won
derful success. Originally confined to an
area of less than 100 square miles along the
Wabash river in Illinois and Indiana, and
known as the "cigar tree" 1t has been
found to be adapted to every portion of the
world. 1t is successfully grown at 30 de-
grees south latitude in New Zealand and at
A degrees north latitude in Maine. 1t pros
pered in the semi-arid regions of Utah,
Colorado and New Mexico, as well as in
the Wabash river bottoms.
When the first President Harrison went
| TO Indiana, in about 1915 he found the ca
talpa tree growing in abundance along the
! Wabash river, and was at once struck by
| it's beauty The Indians and early settlers
, had wondered at its thriftiness and stories
| were told of the rapid growth of the for
| ests. Specimens were sent to the Harrison
| estate, in Ohio, and others were trans
planted about the fort at Vincennes, Ind.
This is the first distribution of the plant
of which there is any record, but for the
last fifty years railroad engineers have been
theoretically experimenting in its cultiva-
| ton.
Unfortunately in the early efforts at
TRANSFORMING an inferior variety was
chosen, the plant selected being a small
| ornamental tree brought from Japan About
| forty years ago the late l.. Z. Barney, of
| Dayton, o.. compiled a book giving expert
| ences of engineers who had tested the wood.
| This book aroused the interest of aboricul-
| turists everywhere, and following it's a D
| pearance there was a great deal of plant
| ing.
the Fort Scott & Memphis Railroad, has
| 200 acres of catalpa planted al Farling-
| ton, Kan. The trees were set four feet
| their crowded condition did not prosper
In more recent years planting has been
| successful in different localities. The larg-
est number have been planted In Kansas
perimented with in every State in the
| Union.
trail Railway has planted 200 acres in
| catalpa and two Boston railroads have
| PLANTED probably 100000 acres in New Eng
| land The Michigan Central Railroad has
| planted a good many of the trees and a
| young forest of fifty thousand trees in
| Indiana is owned by the Big Four Rail-
road. In Kansas Mr. Veggy has 500 acres
| of growing catalpa, which have been ex-
| tremely remunerative. Other plantations
| ranging in extent from thirty-five to five
| hundred acres are numerous.
Ties made from the catalpa wood, ex-
| periments show. need no treatment for their
| preservation, the quality of the timber
Is such that il expels its sap soon after be-
| ing cut and absorbs from the soil in
| stead antisceptic substances that give the
| timber a remarkable power of resisting de-
cay The value OF the wood will be illu-
| strated in many ways in the exhibit under
| Mr. Browns direction in the Forestry
| building at the worlds fair. Even the desk
he will use will be made of catalpa
| speciosa as ii makes handsome furniture,
! having much the same grain as butternut