250 The Hackberry : The Tulip -Tree. 



make them thicken up and spread at the bottom. It may be culti- 

 vated alone cr with other timber in groves, and it makes, when set 

 alone, a handsome street or lawn tree. The Russian mulberry is 

 thought by some to be more valuable than the gray willow or the 

 cotton wood, it being useful from its shelter, its fruit, and its wood. 

 It is grown from cuttings. 



THE HACKBERRY (Genus Cdtis). 



989. Over seventy species of this genus are found in the Torrid and 

 North Temperate Zones of both hemispheres. The C. oriental^ 

 most cultivated in Europe, much resembles the beech in appearance 

 and in the color of the bark. Its wood is very hard, but is not much 

 cultivated as a forest tree. It is sometimes called the " nettle-tree." 



990. The American hackberry (C. occidentalis) is somewhat 

 southern in its native locality, but is found scattered here and there 

 throughout the Northern, Middle, and Western States. When 

 planted, it starts very slowly at first, but when it has passed a cer- 

 tain stage of delay, it will start and grow vigorously. It extends 

 from New England and Canada to Oregon, and southward to 

 Florida, Texas, and New Mexico. In the Wahsatch mountains, it 

 grows to an elevation of from 4,200 to 6,500 feet above tide. It is 

 one of the species that deserves attention in planting upon the 

 western plains. 



THE TULIP-TREE (Liriodendron tulipifera). 



991. This tree belongs to the magnolia family, and is know r n by 

 various popular names, as the " white-wood," the " yellow poplar," and 

 the " tulip-poplar." It is the only species belonging to the genus. It 

 grows to a magnificent size, with a cylindrical trunk, an open, rounded 

 head, a dark, ash-colored bark, somewhat square, truncated, decidu- 

 ous leaves, and large, greenish-yellow 7 , but not fragrant flowers. 

 The bark of the root and branches is bitter and aromatic, acting as 

 as a diaphoretic and tonic, and is sometimes used in the treatment 

 of intermittent fever and chronic rheumatism. These properties 

 are extracted by alcohol, or it may be used as a powder. 



992. It affords a lumber of great excellence for floors, ceiling, 

 and cabinet work, and for inside finishing, but it does not, unless 

 protected by paint, endure well in the open air. Being soft and 

 easily worked, it takes the place of pine for inside work of houses, 

 and paper has been made from the bark. 



