198 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



from the other by the leaves, as in such comparison there 19 

 no difference. 



"Yellow Cottonwood grows very round at the bottom and 

 holds to size much better than White Cottonwood. It gener- 

 ally 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 fiat-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 soft and 

 tender and must be handled very carefully after being manu- 

 factured 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. ) 



Goldenleaf Cottonwood. 



This variety of the Cottonwood is very desirable on ac- 

 count of the bright yellow leaves on the new growth in sum- 

 mer. It grows freely and in Minnesota has proved as healthy 

 as the species. It is valuable for occasional use to give 



