38 FAMILIAR TREES AND THEIR LEAVES. 



diameter for forty feet upward, and when near the 

 summit divides itself into strong, regularly disposed 

 branches, which, with the far-reaching ones below, 

 give the tree massive proportions and a truly mag- 

 nificent appearance. As compared with the sugar 

 maple, the foliage is not nearly so rich and dense, 

 but superiority of size entitles it to the honor of 

 being called a tree-giant. 



The leaf is so peculiarly cut off at the end that 

 one recognizes it at once ; it is unique in shape, very 

 smooth, thin, and it generally turns a russet color in 

 the fall.* The seed pod expands (notice my sketch) 

 into a charmingly decorative figure, which greatly 

 adds to the beauty of the tree in autumn. 



Whitewood is extensively used for interior finish, 

 especially for paneling and moldings ; it is so free 

 from knots, and the grain is so straight, that carpen- 

 ters prefer it to the best of white pine. It is also 

 used in carriage building, as no other wood is quite so 

 well adapted to the curved paneling which this work 

 requires. The best growth of the tulip tree is found 

 in the lower Wabash River Valley and on the west- 

 ern slopes of the Alleghany Mountains, but much of 

 the lumber used in the Northeastern States is brought 

 from Michigan and Wisconsin. The tree does not 



* Sometimes it turns bright buff-yellow. 



