>i LIKIODENDRON TULIPIFER A. 



the sap-wo(xl. Tlio irraiii, also, is coarser aii'l harder, ami the wood decays 

 more speedily; hence, it is neglected when tlie other variety can be obtained. 

 *'rhc yellow j)oi)lar possesses every (piality reipiisito to fit it fur a great variety 

 of uses. At iNew York and IMiiiadeiphia. and in the adjacent country, it was 

 formerly employed in the constrnetion ol' honses, for rafters, and for joists of the 

 upper siorit>s. lor which purposes U was esteemed, on acconntof its lisjjhtness and 

 strenutli. ])iU as the timber has become scarce, pine and sj)rnce have taken its 

 place. In tbe middle, southern, and western states, where this tree abonnds, it 

 is more uenerally usi^d in buildinir. and is considered as the liest substitute for 

 pine, red cedar, and cypress, and serves for the interior work of liouses, and 

 sometimes for the exterior covering. The panels of doors and of wainscots, and 

 the mouldings oli chimney pieces, are made of this wood. In .some states, .shin- 

 gles are made of it, about fifteen inches long, which are preferred to those made 

 of pine, because they are more durable, and are not liable to crack iVom the 

 effects of intense frost and sunshine. In most of the large cities and towns 

 in the United States, hoards sawn from this tree, are generally used for the 

 panels of carriaa:es. When perfectly dry, they take the paint well, and admit 

 of a brilliant polish. Large quantities of this wood are consumed in the manutac- 

 tiire of trunks, covered with cloth, or skins ; of tables, and bedsteads, which 

 are stained, in imitation of mahogany, and for the seats of chairs. It often 

 enters into the composition of bureaus, and cabinct-w^ork generally, particularly 

 when it is inlaid with veneers. It is also used for the circular boards and wings 

 of winnowing machines, also for the construction of sleigh and wagon bodies, 

 where white pine is not abundant, and for the interior of canal and steamboats. 

 As it is easily wn'ought in the lathe, it is often used for bowls, brush, and broom 

 heads and handles, and ilumerous other articles among turners' wares. Among 

 agriculturists, trunks of these trees are often formed into eating and drinking 

 troughs for their animals, which, when exposed to the \veather, last as long as 

 those made of chestnut and butternut. In some parts of the coimtry, the 

 wood of this tree is employed for the rails of rural fences. It is found useful, 

 also, in the construction of bridges, as it unites lightness with strength and 

 durability. The Indians who formerly inhabited the middle states, made choice 

 of this tree to form their canoes, for which purpose it was well adapted. The 

 trunk being of great length and diameter, and the w^ood being light and strong, 

 it was sometimes wrought by them into canoes that would carry twenty or 

 more persons. It is still used by the Indians and others in the western country, 

 for the same purpose. Michaux remarks that, when one of these trees is felled, 

 the chips of the heart-wood that are left upon the ground, particularly those 

 which are left half buried in the leaves, suffer, at the end of three or four weeks, 

 a remarkable change ; the lower part becomes of a dark-blue, and they exhale a 

 fetid, ammoniacal odour ; though the live part of the bark of the trunk, branches, 

 and still more of the roots, has an agreeable smell, and a very bitter taste, and, 

 even under the same circumstances as the heart-wood, it neither acquires the 

 blue colour, nor the disagreeable smell. 



The bark of this tree is considered, by some, as scarcely inferior to the cin- 

 chona, being a powerful tonic and antiseptic. The aromatic principle appears to 

 reside in a resinous part of the substance of the bark, and, when used, stimulates 

 the intestinal canal, and operates as a gentle cathartic. In many instances, the 

 stomach cannot support it, unless each dose is accompanied by a few drops of 

 laudanum. These properties were well known to the American Indians, who 

 employed the bark of the roots of this tree for the cure of intermittents. 



