230 TREES OF MINNESOTA. 



light colored sapwood. Specific gravity 0.6956; weight of a* 

 cubic foot 43.35 pounds. 



Uses. In cultivation the Slippery Elm is a shapely, fast 

 growing tree, well adapted to this section: not of as pretty a. 

 form nor as hardy in dry locations as the White or Rock Elm. 

 but more valuable in home timber lots. When planted as a, 

 street tree, the bark is likely to be stripped off by boys. 

 The trees when planted closely together grow straight and tall 

 and make excellent poles for farm use. When used for posts, 

 they should be cut in summer and be peeled and dried before 

 setting. When this is done they will last a long time. The 

 wood is used for sleigh runners, the running gear of carriages, 

 hubs of wheels, and in the manufacture of agricultural imple- 

 ments. It is tough when boiled or steamed, hence is one of 

 the best woods for ribs of canoes and skiffs. The thick 

 fragrant inner bark is soft, mucilaginous and slightly nutriti- 

 ous. It has been known to support life in case of scarcity of 

 food. It is reported that during the last war with Great. 

 Britain the soldiers on the Canadian frontier found it a grate- 

 ful and nutritious food for their horses in times of scarcity of 

 forage. It is used in medicines for affections of the throab 

 and lungs and for other troubles. 



Genus CELTIS. 



Leaves alternate, simple, short petioled. Flowers monoe- 

 ciously polygamous, appearing in the axils of the leaves of 

 the season; the staminate in little clusters or racemes; the 

 perfect flowers solitary or in pairs, peduncled; styles 2. Fruit. 

 a globular drupe: embryo curved, nearly enclosing a little 

 gelatinous albumen. Only one species in the northern states 

 of interest to us here. 



Celtis occidentalis. Hackberry. Sugarberry. Net- 



tie Tree. 



Leaves quite various but usually ovate to ovate- 

 lancelate, sharply and coarsely serrate or sparingly so r 

 taper-pointed, more or less rough above and unusually soft- 

 pubescent beneath, at least when young. Flowers appear in 

 April and May, solitary, small, white on rather long pedun- 

 cles. Fruit a small, solitary, round, sweet edible drupe, 



