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Owing to the
LEGISLATION long- continued ,
REQUIRED. most parching
and disastrous
drouth in Missouri , Kansas , Nebraska ,
Iowa and . other great corn-producing
states , there will bo a shortage , u
squeeze , so to speak , in the per capita
allotment of corn all over the United
States. In districts depending upon
corn for their principal income this will
make the monetary conditions rather
stringent , and the per capita circulation
will be much reduced. The average
populist , engaged in philanthropy by
legislation , will perceive at once that all
the evils resulting from drouth can be
easily remedied by enactment. An act
increasing the corn per capita will prove
quite as efficacious as an act to increase
the currency per capita.
This issue of
EXPORTS OF THE THE CONSERVA
UNITED STATES. TIVE contains a
facts- distributing
letter from the acting chief of the sec
tion of foreign markets of the statistical
bureau in the United States department
of agriculture. The facts and figures as
to the exports of this country , which
have been furnished to the people by
this section of the statistical division
during the eight years of its existence ,
have been very accurate and reliable.
The money to establish this section
was diverted from junketing expeditions
of government agents in Europe to in
troduce to foreign markets , American
farm products , and was intelligently
and beneficially used. The utility and
high reputation for reliability of the
foreign markets section bulletins and
reports under Frank H. Hitchcock is
a credit to the secretary of agriculture ,
who established the one and appointed
the other.
EDITOR THE CONSERVATIVE.
In the absence of
AGRICULTURAL Mr. Frank H.
EXPORTS. Hitchcock , who
is at present ac
companying the congressional committee
on rivers and harbors on its inspection
trip to the Pacific coast , I have the
honor to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the 15th inst. , relative to
the origin and the work of the section
of foreign markets.
The section was instituted March 20 ,
1894 , under a clause in the act of appro
priation for the department of agri
culture , setting aside $10,000 for the
purpose of making "investigations con
cerning the feasibility of extending the
demands of foreign markets for the ag
ricultural products of the United
States. " The work of this section was
originally conducted under your imme
diate supervision while secretary of ag
riculture. Mr. Wm. B. Nassau , deceased ,
was the first chief. Mr. Hitchcock was
appointed chief on January 9,1897. The
publications of the office comprise
twenty-five bulletins ( including two
now in press ) and twenty-three circu
lars.
lars.The
The proportion of agricultural pro
ducts to the total domestic exports of
the United States during the last five
years has been as follows :
Years ended Per cent , agri-
June 80. cultural.
1890 60.54
1897 60.84
1898 70.98
1899 65.85
1900 61.62
I take pleasure in mailing to you un
der separate cover , copies of an article
on the "Section of Foreign Markets"
from the year-book for 1897 , and bulle
tin No. 28 of this office , "Our Foreign
Trade in Agricultural Prodiacts , 1891-
1900. " Very respectfully ,
FRANK R. RUTTER ,
Acting Chief.
It has been ous-
STRENGTH OF ternary for farm-
THE CATALPA. ers where this tree
abounds , to use
the young poles for repairing agricultu
ral implements , where strength , com
bined with lightness and durability , was
desirable. Plow beams , single and
double trees , handles of various tools
have been made , continuing long in
use , where oak had been broken.
A three-horse evener in Kansas , made
from a four-inch catalpa pole , which is
being used for
Demands for Timber , the third season ,
serves the pur
pose admirably. Two eveners of oak
had been previously broken hi the
same service proving the practical
utility of the catalpa. The immensity
of the demands for timber by
by railroads may be realized from the
following figures :
There are in use today 780,000,000 cross-ties
Annual requirements for
renewals 112,000,000 "
Expended annually for tiesGO,000,000
Number required during the
next two decades 8,000,000,000 ' ' '
Where shall they be obtained ? Of
what will they be made ? What will be
their cost ? These are pertinent ques
tions but are capable of intelligent so
lution.
The catalpa tree will make the ties , in
sixteen years growing to a size that -will
make five cross-ties , which will last for
thirty-five years.
Upon almost every railway right of
way may be growing 640 trees to each
mile of track , omitting the inside line
of curves , but planting one row of trees
upon each side the track , and 40 to 50
feet from center , trees one rod apart.
In sixteen years this will provide 8,000
ties , being enough to relay the mile of
track.
Since the catalpa renews itself from
the stump , when cut , and the young
shoots grow very rapidly with the well-
established roots to support the new
growth , the trees would be permanent ,
and fully supply all requirements for
ties , fence posts , telegraph poles and
lumber.
By cutting a portion each year the
avenue would remain unbroken.
An avenue 1,000 miles long ! As many
railway lines are of much greater
length than this , it would be one of the
happiest views which America could
possess.
Transportation of ties for long dist
ances now constitutes a large portion of
the cost. This may be entirely elimi
nated by growing them where they are
to be used.
One year old trees are always used in
forest planting , and these may be had
at from $8.00 to $5.00 per 1,000 trees.
The utmost core should be observed
in obtaining the hardy western catalpa
speciosa. Unless
Directions for it is specially de-
Planting Catalpa. sirable to start
with the seed , by
all means purchase one year plants.
In growing plants the seed should be
drilled in nursery rows about 25 or 30
per foot , with rows 4 feet apart , covered
very lightly , kept clean from grass and
weeds , and transplanted the first year.
There are 10,000 seeds to a pound.
Thorough cultivation is essential. In
the autumn when the wood has ripened
they are taken up , tied in bunches of
100 and heeled in for the winter. In
spring , with the ground well prepared ,
furrow out deeplyrows eight feet apart ,
and plant trees eight feet in the rows ,
the intermediate spaces being cultivated
in potatoes , corn , or some non-vining
vegetable. Neither weeds nor grass
should be permitted to grow ; a sod of
grass will quickly ruin the catalpa.
The trees will thus form tall upright
trunks , with few branches. After the
fifth year the shade and falling leaves
will protect the tree , without further
cultivation ; it may be sooner. By the
eighth year all trees should be removed
except the permanent stand , not closer
than 16x16 feet , in order to give room
for the roots and each its share of
moisture. This will give 170 permanent
trees per ecre.
The cost of planting will vary accord
ing to local conditions. The land should
be such as would produce a fair crop of
corn.
Value of land , Bay $80.00
Preparing the land 5.00
680 trees , 8x8 feet 8.50
Labor , planting and cultivating 6.00
Interest and taxes 20 years 80.00
$12350
At eight years three-fourths the trees
should be removed leaving permanent
trees 16x16 feet or 170 per acre.
Each tree removed will supply two
