The Poplars 67 



The Cottonwood is a very rapid grower and fairly hardy, and for that reason is 

 used considerably by the farmers in western Canada for planting in shelter-belts 

 and for fuel. 



At the Dominion Forest Nursery Station at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, these 

 trees have reached the height of 20 ft. six years after planting them as vseedlings. 



The tree produces seed abundantly but unless conditions are very favourable 

 the seed does not germinate. It is most conveniently reproduced by cuttings or 

 sprouts. 



In Eastern Canada this tree is found scattered from Quebec westward through- 

 out southern Ontario, but is nowhere abundant. In Western Canada it is found in 

 the southern part of the three Prairie Provinces. It is a tree that re(|uires con- 

 siderable moisture and is, therefore, mostly confined to the banks of streams and 

 bottoms of river valleys. 



Cottonwood lumber is usually considered to be more valuable than that of the 

 other poplars on account of its toughness. Cottonwood is imported for the manu- 

 facture of vehicle body work, but in Canada the tree is not common and is only 

 valuable commercially in a purely local way. 



POPULUS TRICHOCARPA, Torr. 8b Gray BLACK COTTONWOOD 



Common names: Black cottonwood, balsam Cottonwood, balm 



Cottonwood, western balm, cottonwood. 

 French name: Peuplier de TOuest. 



The black cottonwood is found from southern Alaska southward along the 

 coast of British Columbia, where it grows mixed with various conifers such as Sitka 

 spruce and Douglas fir, and occasionally occurs in small, pure groves. It demands 

 a moist soil and is therefore confined mostly to river bottoms. 



It is a tree SO to 125 ft. in height and 3 to 4 ft. in diameter, and is one of our 

 largest and most rapid-growing native broad-leaved trees. It is very intolerant 

 of shade and when growing with other trees it survives only by virtue of its rapid 

 growth which enables it to keep ahead of the other species with which it occurs. 

 Grown in a dense stand it produces a long, clear bole with a small, round open 

 crown. 



The bark is grey and thick and, on large trees, well marked with deep, regular 

 furrows. The twigs are shiny and yellowish in colour. When young they are 

 slightly angled but later become rounded in cross-section. 



The winter buds are ^ to % in- long, reddish-yellow, and slightly resinous and 

 fragrant. They are frequently curved or bent near the middl' 



The leaves are very much like those of the balsam poplar in outline, but are 

 paler beneath and more leathery in texture. The stem is round in cross-section. 



Black cottonwood lumber is the only wood of its kind in Britisii Columbia, 

 and is, therefore, used for purposes for which the eastern species are seldom used. 

 It is the largest soft, non-resinous wood in the province, and is used chiefly for boxes 

 and cooperage. 



22510 5J 



