The Cairo bulletin., 1911-04-30
SHORT SUBJECTS
BY h. E. Potter.

The Cataipa.-The catalpa tree is
! the most lasting of any, and hence its
timber is very valuable for fence
posts and railroad ties. 1t should be
grown in numerous forests over the
country, on cheap land, for the bene-
fit Of railroads especially. The tree
is low, the trunk not being long
enough FOR telegraph or telephone
poles. The fruit produced in the fol
iage is hideous, grub-like worm
about as large os the ordinary wo-
mans thumb. 1t emits an, offensive
odor, which becomes awful when the
worm is crushed. This live fruit is
social when ripe and drope freely up
on those seeking the shade of the
tree. The Catalpa was not built for
an ornamental or shade tree. The
nhilanthropist who is freely introduc-
ing 1t into Illinois for these purpose s
should he classed with the men who
introduced in this country the Eng
lish sparrow and German earn. In
near years OF the future the boy
scouts who get manual training in
the schools will have practice in wood
craft while chopping down Catalpa
trees, in this great smoker state.
Trade by Rail.-The large cities do
not obtain patronage from outside
for their retail stores by wagon roads
o. river ferries. They get it by rail.
read. So does Cairo get the bulk of
her outside retail trade by railroad.
AS her railroads increase SO tne
trade SHOULD increase. The interur-
ban and the Cairo & Thebes roads
should add largely to the retail trade
of this city II the interurban com.
pany does not stand in fear of having
Its Cairo franchise withdrawn by the
city council, it is likely to extend
lis road and make large section OF
country tributary to this city that
SN@o hot tiNuC AGAc W GklS SlGdl GA'
tent now. 1t is good policy for the
merchants of Cairo to make friends
of the railroads it has ana 10 en-
courage the building of connections
VITA the systems all around. The
railroads will accomplish everything
for it, including the bringing OF fac.
tories here. When the revival OF
river business comes, 1t will be by
the action of the railway companies,
they seeing that With the use Of
modern steel boats and the latest ap,
planes for handling freight tnat it !
will be vastly economical to move
heavy freights below to and from
this point by boat instead of by rail
Not repealed.-The Cairo & Thebes
franchise ordinance is not repealed,
unless the U. S. supreme court de-
tiIcs that it is. Some years may
elapse before this court can consid
er the matte: and pass upon it. When
that time comes, the court will like
ly want to know why prominnet busi-
ness men of this city composing the
local directory of the c. & T. Co.
insisted ypon an agreement with the
constructing company that was to-
own the road, that the Iron MouL-
tain Co. should have the right to run
trains over the road on equal terms
with the proprietor company, if the
|. M. road already reached Cairo and
owned or controlled terminal facili-
ties here. The court might also call
for the tax books, to see how-muca
property in Cairo the I. NJ. Co. paid
taxes on. The court would hardly
have understood the talk, that the
old c. e. r. directors would have
been satisfied if the road had been
leased to the Frisco company in
stead Of the Iron Mountain, inasmuch
as the latter was included in the
agreement by which both roads were
to. have the use Of the C.r g. T.