Also, if you are after honey locust for the fruit, there is a huge variety in sugar content. Some of the historic very best varieties have sugar content as high as 20%, which others are much lower. If you were to purchase one tree of known merits it would be a simple matter to propagate via root suckers.
You're right about that. I'm especially interested in seeds from trees that were bred for pod production. The reason I'm willing to chance it on seedlings, and willing to chop out the majority of them, is that I want to get the genetic diversity. I did read the book tree crops, and I've tracked down two of the improved varieties discussed in the book, but to me it seems dangerous to plant extensive groves of just two cultivars; all it would take is one disease to end up in trouble, and given my climate, diversity seems particularly important.