204 SYLVA AMERICANA. 



The bark of this tree, till the trunk exceeds seven or eight 

 inches in diameter, is smooth and even : it afterwards begins to 

 crack, and the furrow and the thickness of the bark are 

 proportioned to the size and to the age of the tree. The heart 

 of the perfect wood is yellow, approaching to a lemon color, and 

 its alburnum is white. Though this tree is classed as a light 

 wood, it is much heavier than the poplars ; its grain is equally 

 fine and more compact, and the wood is easily wrought and 

 polishes well. It is found strong and stiff enough for uses that 

 require great solidity. The heart, when separated from the sap 

 and perfectly seasoned, long resists the influence of the air, and 

 is said to be rarely attacked by worms. Its greatest defect, 

 when employed in wide boards and exposed to the weather, is 

 its liability to shrink and warp by the alternations of dryness and 

 moisture : but this defect is in a great measure compensated by 

 its other properties. The nature of the soil has so striking an 

 influence upon the color and upon the quality of this tree, that 

 the mechanics who employ it, distinguish it by the names of 

 White Poplar and Yellow Poplar. The external appearance 

 which mark these varieties are so equivocal, that it can be 

 ascertained to which a tree belongs only by cutting it. It is 

 known in general that the white poplar grows in dry, gravelly 

 and elevated places : it is recognized too by its branchy summit, 

 and by the small proportion which the light yellow heart bears 

 to the sap. The grain also is coarser and harder, and the wood 

 decays more speedily ; hence it is always selected when the 

 other variety can be obtained. The yellow poplar possesses 

 every quality requisite to fit it for a great variety of uses, but we 

 shall mention only some of the most common. In many parts of 

 the United States it is employed for constructing the frames of 

 houses and for shingles, and is considered as the best substitute 

 for the pine, red cedar and the cypress. It is also sawn into boards, 

 of which are made the panels of doors and of wainscots, and the 

 mouldings of chimney pieces ; they are exclusively used for the 

 panels of coaches and chaises. When perfectly dry, they receive 

 paint well, and admit of a brilliant polish. A large quantity of 

 this wood is likewise employed in the manufacture of trunks 



