It is often used in the making of barrels and fruit baskets. It is hard to split and work, and for that reason carpenters do not use it for woodwork or finishing; but if a tough wood is needed, a better wood than that of the elm is difficult to find.

THE LOCUST

JOHN BENTLEY, Jr.

This year we have for study the locust tree, which is one of the broadleaf trees. We have learned that the cone-bearing trees furnish a very large proportion of the timber used in our country, and that the hardwoods, or broadleaf trees, are perhaps not so generally useful. For certain purposes, however, the carpenter or the builder frequently has to turn

to the hardwoods for what he wants, either for hardness or durability or for the beautiful grain and satin-like finish of which hardwoods are capable. We all know that a handsome piece of mahogany or curly birch or bird's-eye maple is much better suited to the making of fine furniture and the interior finishing of a house than is spruce or pine. Each class of trees has its own uses: the pines, spruces, and firs are especially useful in construction work and framework, for which such qualities as strength, medium weight, and durability are required; the hardwoods are chosen for finishing and trimming, as well as for furniture and cabinet-making, for which beauty and elegance are wanted in addition to strength.

Leaf and fruit of common locust

66

Unfortunately, not all hardwoods are equally attractive, even when carefully worked and smoothly polished. In order to be handsome and useful for furniture or interior finish, a wood must possess a certain degree of hardness so that it will take a fine polish; and in addition to this, it should have a rich color or a well-marked grain, or both. White oak, sycamore, mahogany, birch, red gum, black cherry, and maple when it has a curly" or a bird's-eye" grain, are all much used for furniture or interior finish and for panel work; while beech, chestnut, elm, basswood, hickory, locust, and many others are not so much used for these purposes, but are nevertheless very useful for special purposes because of the toughness or hardness of their wood. The locust, which we are to study at this time, is especially useful for posts, poles, ship timbers, or any other purpose that demands toughness and strength combined with durability in contact with moisture. Many woods will decay rapidly

when they are subjected to the moisture in the ground or to the ordinary changes in the weather. A good quality of the locust, however, is its durability, especially when in contact with the soil or exposed to the weather. Some of the great railroad companies, which use each year many thousands of railroad ties, have recognized the durability of the locust and are growing and cultivating locust trees on their own land. to supply ties, posts, and poles.

In what way does a locust tree differ from other common trees that we see around us? How can we recognize a locust tree when we see it? In the first place, we should know that the locust is one of a family of plants which is very

useful to man - the

pulse family. This

family includes many plants the fruit or seeds of which are edible and supply food for man and beast. Peas, beans, and lentils are used by man as food, and they are very valuable foods indeed because they are so rich in proteids. The locust tree, true to the characteristics of its family, bears fruit consisting of a num

Honey locust in winter

ber of dark, orange-brown seeds, about three sixteenths of an inch long and usually with irregular darker markings, enclosed in a reddish brown pod three to four inches long. The presence of the pods, which persist from the time they ripen in the fall until early spring, is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the locust. In the spring the tree may be recognized and identified by its foliage and flowers. The leaves are eight to fourteen inches long, with seven to nineteen leaflets, making what the botanists call a compound leaf- that is, a large leaf composed of several smaller leaflets all growing from the same stem. The leaflets are one half to three quarters inch broad and about one and one half inch long, and generally have a perfectly smooth edge. They are a dull dark green above, and the under surface is paler; and in the fall they turn to a clear yellow. The flowers, which appear late in May

or about the first of June, are borne in loose, drooping clusters; they are creamy white and very fragrant. A locust tree in full bloom is indeed a very beautiful sight.

Where the soil is good the locust tree grows very rapidly when young. It puts out many roots in all directions, which seek the moisture in the soil. Frequently they are so close to the surface of the ground that a number of shoots are sent up. These soon grow and make a thicket of young locust trees. These young trees are very attractive, but they use up much of the moisture in the ground. If, therefore, the old tree is to grow to a good size, it is well to cut the sprouts each year and to keep the ground near the parent tree clear. When a number of locust trees are growing together and are all of about the same age, as in a plantation, there will not be so many sprouts.

The young locust tree grows very rapidly, and at the same time the wood that it produces is hard, strong, and heavy, and is usually a pale yellowish brown in color. Because it is so durable it is useful as posts, railroad ties, or any other kind of timber that is exposed to changes in the weather and dampness in the soil.

The locust tree has an enemy that often destroys it the locust borer (Cyllene robinia), an insect that does its destructive work in the form of a grub. It bores holes in the trunk and branches, keeps the tree from growing as it should when in a healthy condition, and may destroy it. In September the beetles which are about three fourths of an inch long. and of a velvety black color, with bright golden yellow markings — gather in large numbers on the bark of the locust trees and lay their small white eggs in the crevices of the bark, in clusters of seven or eight. These eggs soon hatch into little grubs, or worms, of a yellowish color, about three fourths of an inch long. They bore into the bark and work industriously, mining through the softer tissues of the wood until winter overtakes them. They then rest until the warm weather of spring revives them, when they begin work in April or May even more vigorously. They extend their burrows into the wood of the tree, sending out chips and sawdust, by which their work is often detected. The grubs become fullgrown about the middle of July, at which time they go through the metamorphosis common to beetles and emerge early in September as beetles.

After a few seasons of this kind of work the tree is doomed. It ceases to make normal growth; it is covered with great scars and wounds, and, like the unprofitable fig tree of the Scriptures, is fit only to be cut down and burned. The sooner it is burned, the better, for if done while the grubs are in it they are killed and prevented from extending the injury to some other tree.

Nothing is known that will prevent the destruction of the black locust by the locust borer. About the only thing that can be done is to watch the plantation closely, and if it is found that one or two trees have been attacked it is better to cut these down and burn them immediately, so as to prevent the insects from attacking other trees in the plantation. This seems like a somewhat rigorous measure, but after the insects have once made inroads into a tree it is practically impossible to get them out without destroying the tree.

If the locust tree is cared for and protected against these borers, it should soon become large enough for fence posts.

SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY

Did you ever see a locust tree as large as an elm? as a maple? Is the bark smooth and gray, like that of the beech tree, or is it rough, and dark in color?

Note whether the bark on the branches has prickles on it. Are they stout and strong, or can they be easily broken off? Did you ever see a locust tree blown over by the wind? Do you think strong roots would hold a tree in position against hard winds and storms?

What do the flowers of the locust tree resemble? Notice the leaflets of the locust on a bright, sunny day, and then on a still night; notice how they have folded together; or in cloudy, cold, or rainy weather, see how the leaflets behave. It is one of the habits of members of the pulse family to fold their leaves together at night. If there are pods on the tree, how many seeds are in the pods? How are they fastened to the pods?

In winter notice how the winter buds, which contain the beginnings of next summer's leaves, are protected by being depressed and covered with a scale-like covering, the inside of which is lined with a woolly growth. The tree makes all this careful preparation against cold weather, which might injure the tender leaves in the buds.

If you can find a locust tree that has been cut down and sawed into logs, count the rings of growth on the end of one of the logs. How many rings are there from the center to the edge? Does the tree show a rapid growth?

If a tree is injured, sap will flow from the wound. If the locust tree that you are observing has been damaged by the borers, notice how the sap has run. Be careful not to cause trees needless wounds by chopping into them or by severely bruising the inner bark.

The purpose of the bark is to protect the growing part of the tree, which is just under the bark. How thick is the bark on the locust tree? The sap carries water and plant-food from the roots to the leaves and from the leaves to the growing parts of the tree. That is why it is so