POPLAR. 2GU 



ground. It is not possible to distinguish one from the other by 

 the leaves, as in such comparison there is no difference. 



"Yellow Cottonwood grows very round at the bottom, and 

 holds to size much better than White Cottonwood. It generally 

 has a thick bark; what we term as a corrugated bark. 



"White Cottonwood has a much thinner and softer bark, 

 and is very apt to have a heavy spur root at the bottom. We 

 mean by that it is liable to grow up somewhat flat-sided and 

 ridged near the bottom of the trees. This is somewhat similar 

 to the growth of oak. 



"Yellow Cottonwood will saw up very smooth, is so'ft and ten- 

 der, and must be handled very carefully after being manufactured 

 into lumber in order to prevent the splitting of the boards or 

 their ends. It will dress out through a planer with a very 

 smooth surface, and will break off square. It will also take a 

 very nice polish after being surfaced. 



"White Cottonwood is tough and stringy, is very hard on 

 saws in manufacturing, and will sometimes bend almost double 

 before it will break, -and after breaking the ends will be rough. 



"A White Cottonwood board put through a planer will not 

 dress out smooth the entire surface, but there will be more or 

 less spots that are fuzzy and rough, which is a serious objec- 

 tion to the consumer, as it will not take an even polish. A 

 White Cottonwood board exposed to the sun will also warp 

 and twist to a much greater extent than a Yellow Cottonwood 

 board. 



"Yellow Cottonwood lumber is not strictly yellow, consider- 

 ing it from a color standpoint, nor is it strictly white. There 

 is a tinge in the lumber which impresses you as different from 

 a White Cottonwood board, which to the eye is very distinct." 



Varieties. 



Populus deltoides aurea. (P. Van Gertii, Bailey. ~] Gold- 

 enleaf Cottonwood. 



This variety of the Cottonwood is very desirable -on account 

 of the bright yellow leaves on the new growth in summer. 

 It grows freely, and in Minnesota has proved as healthy as the 

 species. It is valuable for occasional use to give variety to wind- 

 breaks, and is said to be more largely planted in Europe for 

 park decoration than any other American tree. 



