UTILI"ATION OF BLAC"LOCUST B y "O H N B . ( Dru m Associ a te W ood Tech n o l o i st For est P r od u cts L a bor a tor Br a n ch o Res g , y, f ea r ch , For est S er vi ce CO NT ENT S o ) o t 9 c O Int r oduct io n H Utiliz ati on Th e t r ee M Insul at or pins Range M W agon hubs H a b it s an d gr owt h M T r eenails Repr oduction W Fence post s Annual cu t an d pr esent supply Q M ine t i mber s ‘ Cut ting an d mar keting O Poles Th e wood Q M inor uses Appear ance Q Summar y St r uct ur e G A ppendix Pr o per ties N Specifi cat i ons for insul at or pins Specifi cations for t r eenails I N T R O D UC T I O N Ro bi 'n i a seu d oacaci a " The wood of black locust , p , is used chie y for insulator pins , wagon hubs , treenails , fence posts , and mine F r . o timbers these uses it is admirable because of its hardness , A i s strength , and durability . valuable characteristic of the tree its rapid growth on many types of soils during the first 20 to 30 years of its life . This rapid growth and the extensive network of roots developed by black locust make it well suited fo r planting t o check erosion . The greatest obstacle to more extensive cultivati on and utilization c s O l l en e r o bi n a e a n of black lo ust i the locust borer , y , black or brow - - b eetl e and yellow striped , long horned that attacks small trees r and riddles the wood . The numerous holes that it makes may rende the wood valueless and often so weaken the trees that they are n ot easily broken by the wind . The damage from the borer has been nearly so serious in the West as in the East . 1 Under some conditions , plantations of black locust may be at least partly protected from the borer if the locusts are planted in thick stands or so mixed with other trees as to produc e dense shade . So grown they are more apt to be free from locust attacks and W i ll . i early drop o ff their lower branches and develop clean , stra ght poles during the first 10 to 15 years of growth . i P R TE TI O N FRO M TH E L O CU S T f A A F . O C t h e o o i l a t i o : CR I G H E D . see ll w ng pub ic n , C , 1 9 1 . R A 1 2 . s . 9 BO ER . U . S t . r . 7 87 . Dep g . Bul , p , illu 2 95 1 ° —3 0 -1 R AR 1 3 1 . s . D EP M E N O F G UR E 2 CI CUL , U ART T A RICULT T H E TRE E ‘ Seven or eight species of the genus Robinia grow in the -United an d e o d s States M xico , and three are f und in the Unite State in i s N e t . w ree form Of these black locust the most valuable , Mexi - c an (R o bi r ti a n e o m eaei car t a ) i n i . locust second mportance , and R o v i scosa . w clammy l cust ( . )third N e Mexican locust grows in N e . m w Mexico , Arizona , Utah , and Colorado Cla my locust was originally confined to the mountains of N orth Carolina and South Carolina . It has , however , been planted extensively and has spread N ew from plantations . The wood of Mexican locust and of clammy locust i s quite similar to that of black locust . Black locust is p c pu l ar l c fi y known as yellow locust under certain onditions , speci cally when it is found on slopes and mountain coves in large r groups than n in the bottom lands , where the trunks are characteristically lo g and straiéht . Thb wood of black locust is sometimes c onfused with that of w at er l o cu st honeylocust , , and Texas honeylocust . These three ‘ species , whose wood is quite similar , belong to the genus G leditsia an entirely different group from the genus Robinia H oneylocust G l ed i tsi a t r i a car t t h o s )is not the equal of black locust in strength - properties or durability . It is somewhat used for planing mill p rod l a i s u ct s e . at r o cu i t t o and box s and crates W e st ( G . ag n )and Texa t occ r t ' honeylocust ( G . a a )have but slight use . Black locust trees ordinarily reach a height of’ 40 to 80 feet and a 1 2 e diameter of to feet , with comparatively long , straight st ms and n s . 1 a d mall crowns in dense forest growth (pl , B )and longer more 1 O . spreading crowns in the pen (pl , A) RAN G E s fi 1 The natural range of black locu t ( g . )is believed to have been restricted originally to the Appalachian Mount ains from P en n syl vania to G eorgia , and to certain portions of Arkansas and eastern e Oklahoma . The tr e reaches its best development on the western a slopes of th e Appalachian Mountains in West Virgini . It has been widely planted and is found in p ractically every State in the Union i s in plantations , fence rows , or in the forest . While black locust much more common in the East than in the West , it has , however an d been grown successfully in the irrigated valleys of Utah , Idaho , eastern Oregon and Washington . Plantations in Utah and Wash i n gt o n h ave been among t h e most successful in the United States . H ABIT S AN D G RO W TH - Black locust grows best in a deep , well drained fertile loam , but n will grow in almost a y soil except one that is very sandy or wet , heavy , and acid . On limestone soils it usually attains an excellent o development . In its natural range black locust is found al ng sl e es streams or singly and in groups on the p , and in the coves of . the mountains , and often on the borders of forests On slopes and in coves its principal associates are black , red , and chestnut oaks , c . chestnut , pignut hi kory , and maple Along streams locust grows - with ash , maple , black walnut, and other trees . On burned over forest land it often grows in pure stands . UTILI"ATION OF B LAC" L OCUST 3 50 a An examination of black locust trees in v rious locations , the 83 oldest years of age , showed that the rate of growth increased , 25 3 0 . rapidly up to or years of age , after which it decreased The fastest gro wth noted was at the rate of about 1% inches in diameter 1 w 25 . per year , hile the slowest was only inch in years The rings of average merchantable timber ranged in width from one -tenth to - f . n r d w en er al l one ourth of an inch The sapwood was a r r g y less than - one half inch in width , and contained on the average four annual rings . 0 -0 M I L ES 0 2 0 0 1 m N AT URA L RAN G E G RCATES T comM ERCIAL PRODU FI G RE 1 — N a r n m r i r a s f a k o s U . t u a l a d c o me c a l ng e o bl c l cu t REPR O D U CTI O N Bl ack locust ordinarily reproduces itself abundantly by seeds and by stump and root sprouts . Where it is desired to set out a planta tion 1 -year -old seedlings are recommended as the most economical and ordinarily t h e most successful . These seedlings the planter can either grow for himself or purchase from State and private nurseries . Where seedlings are grown , the seed , gathered locally or ° 160 F . purchased , should be soaked in warm water not over from 8 to 12 hours and then should be sowed immediately and to a depth of inch . Spring sowing is preferable . 1 —E sti m a t an n a l n ABLE . e d u ou t o b l ack l s t tn t h e i t e t a t es 1926 T f ocu U d S , Pr oduct Q uant it y 1 Fence post s Insul at or pins an d cob s M ine t imber s W ago n hub s Poles T t 42 075 o al , 1 Deal er s gener ally fig u r e 400 b oar d feet t o th e cor d for black l o cust b olt s alt hough a cor d ofwood or di nar ily i t t 500 t s consider ed o con ain boar d fee .