Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-04-07
aged land can be devoted profitabily
10 tree planting.
Thriyes ON Poor Soil.

TO tree planting.
Thrives ON Poor Soil.
The cottonwood and the black wal
nut, two native trees, and the hardy
catalpa fulfill the requirements admir-
ably. The cottonwood may be planted
where erosion has more or less COM
pletely ruined the land and on areas
which have been covered by deep lay
ers of sand. The partially eroded land
and land covered with only shallow
layer of sand. and also such areas
which, through the protection of sur
rounding natural forests, have become
siltcd, may be profitably planted to
black walnut or hardy catalpa.
Cottonwood is least eXacting as to
soil fertility and has the advantage of
quick growth. 1t can be depended up
on to produce large quantities of fuel,
boX-bolrd material, and rough lumber.
Seedlings or cuttings spaced 6 feet by
q feet or 4 feet by s feet apart may
be used in establishing plantations.
AT eight TO 10 years after planting
about one-half of the trees should be
thinned out. A second thinning, at the
end of Is to Is years, removes the
least promising of the remaining trees.
A plantation should begin to yield sa "
logs when 20 to 20 years old.
The catalpa requires a fairly rich
soil, but its roots will quickly penc-
trate to the fertile soil if plalHed on
areas covered with thin layers of sand.
Plantations of this tree have been
known to survive frequent and even
prolonged overflows. The records for
a certain plantation i'll southern ILL
nois show that within 20 years it had
suffered 10 foundations and that the
ground had been under water a month
at a time. A 3-year-old plantation in
Shawnee county, Kan, was overlooked
for about four weeks by the Kansas
river food in June 1908. On an adj
jacent tract planted in, the spring Of
1908, the newly planted seedlings were
completely submerged for an entire
week. Some of the leaves were killed
and the growth of the trees temper.
Iarily checked, as a result of the flood
ing, but the trees were not killed.
Year Old Seeding Best.
One-year-old seedlings. either home
igrown or purchased from a nursery
should be used and it is of the utmost
Importance 10 secure seed or seedlings
of the genuine catalpa- speciosa. as this
iS. Toll IL
catalpa. Trees may be planted 5 feet
by feet to to feet apart To in
sure the best results, trees must be
given good cultivation for two or three
seasons. The plantations should also
be gone over in the spring for the
first two or three years and the sur
plus buds rubbed off while still tender
This will obviate pruning in later
years
Catalpa produces excellent posts
which can be used at small size
Where the quality OF the growth in
sures good, straight trees the produc
| ton OF small telephone poles has beer
found very profitable. For ordinar.
situations - year rotation is advis
able. Since hardy catalpa is likely :.
be frozen back by extreme COLI
| weather, it can not be planted will
safety north of Nebraska, Iowa, q
Illinois.
should Not he Alone.
The walnut is suitable for plantin:
on sites which are flooded for onl,
comparatively short periods of time
4 Where this tree is desired, it woul
probably be more profitable to plan
it in mixture rather than in pure plas
tations. If planted in mixture wit
catalpa, the walnut seed should b
planted lin the permanent site two I
Ifthree years before the catalpa is il
troduced. This would be necessar
to keep it from being overtopper ,
the more rapid growing catalpa. TIL
latter species makes its most rapi
| growth during the first 10 years of i
/ life and natures early. while the wa
nut persists in its growth for a Gel
tury or more.
/ The fact has been demonstrate
that trees can be profitably grown c
lands subject to frequent overflow
and that lands damaged by eXtraord
nary floods can be reclaimed by tn
method, while in planting land of tn
character to annual crops. recurrel
floods will not only destroy the croI
but also infiict additional and perm
nent injury to the land.
Iii Death Was on His Heels,
III JecSe ID Morris Of SkinparS ".