STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 119 



MORNING SESSION. 



Second dai/, Wednesday, January 16th. 



The discussion of the paper of Mr. Sias, read last evening, being 

 first in order, Col. Robertson, said : 



Mr. President: 



I endorse the remarks of Mr. Sias about the value of the Cotton- 

 wood. It is one of the poplars, which derive their general name 

 from the fact that they are the people's trees ; easily grown, 

 thrifty, adapted to many climates, soils, situations and aspects ; 

 hence popular. The only objection to it as a street tree is its cot- 

 ton, which is often complained of as a nuisance in houses and about 

 the walks. To avoid this cotton where it is objectionable, we have 

 only to select cuttings from the male trees, as it is the female trees 

 which bear the cotton. When the trees are in bloom the males 

 can be distinguished by the absence of the cotton and marked. 



Mr. Sias. 1 am glad to be reinforced by Col. Robertson in my 

 estimate of the value of the Cottonwood. I agree to what he says 

 about avoiding the cotton for street trees, by selecting cuttings 

 from the males ; but for general purposes of forests and wind- 

 breaks, the cotton is nature's provision for distribution of the seeds. 

 They rise upon the winds and are floated and born about for long 

 distances and over vast tracts of country, falling and germinating 

 oftentimes where most needed and where otherwise they would not 

 be found. For this reason I say let the cotton fly till the tornadoes 

 quit. 



Secretary Gibbs. While the cottonwood is undoubtedly adapted 

 to any part of Minnesota, our reports are looked to as authority 

 in tree culture for vast districts to the Northwest of us, and we 



