THE TULIP TREE. 



107 



as well as the most beautiful, of our forest trees. 

 The wood is commonly called poplar-wood, and being 

 soft and easily worked, is extensively used in the 

 manufacture of Cabinet-ware. This tree is very con- 

 spicuous in the early summer months on account of 

 the abundance of its large showy flowers, each being 

 the size, and having much the appearance of the 

 tulip. But its appearance is too familiar to need 

 much further description. 



A noble specimen of this tree, 

 which recently stood upon the 

 farm of Friends' Boarding-school 

 at West-town, measured at the 

 base about 37 feet in circum- 

 ference, and was about 100 feet 

 in height. It was hollow in the 

 centre, with an opening on one 

 side like a tent-door. Respect- 

 ing its age and history, one of 

 the Principals in the Seminary writes: "We have 

 no data from which to determine its age, but judg- 

 ing from analogy, it must have been in existence 

 long before William Penn founded the colony. The 

 importance with which this tree was regarded was no 

 doubt mainly due to a tradition that it was once oc- 

 cupied as a dwelling by a family of Indians. The 

 tradition most likely had its origin in the circum- 

 stance of numerous relics having been found in the 

 immediate vicinity of the tree, indicating the exist- 

 ence, at some period, of an Indian encampment Tt 

 had become so much an object of interest to the 



Tulip Tree. 



