TREES AND THEIB VALUE FOR PLANTING 81 



they should be placed in a pail of hot water and stirred for 

 IS minutes or more and then covered and allowed to stand 

 2 or 3 days. The seed that swells should be planted at once 

 and not allowed to dry out and the rest treated with hot 

 water. The seed should be planted in the nursery about 2 or 3 

 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart. They will be large enough 

 when I year old to transplant. It should be planted in mixture 

 with white elm, hackberry, oaks and ashes. If planted several 

 years previous to its associates it can be mixed with catalpa, 

 Russian mulberry or black locust. It is not known tr be sub- 

 ject to any serious insect or fungus diseases. It should prove 

 a valuable tree to plant for fence posts. 



Cottonwood (Populus deltoides). — The cottonwood grows 

 naturally throughout the Eastern portion of the country. It 

 grows best on alluvial soils along watercourses. It demands 

 moisture, but does not demand a rich soil. It grows to be a 

 tree loo feet in height and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The wood 

 is soft and light and difficult to split when dry. It is not strong 

 and decays rapidly in the ground. It can be used for construc- 

 tion purposes, where properly piled after sawing to prevent 

 warping. It is also used for packing boxes, wood pulp and 

 crates. It will grow fence posts in ten years, trees at that age 

 often reaching 6 to 8 inches in diameter breast height and 

 30 to 35 feet in height. The wood is not durable, but when 

 treated with creosote, posts will last at least twenty years. 

 Cottonwood has the fastest growth of the trees that are 

 commonly planted. Where the soil is suited to it trees 20 

 years of age will reach a height of 50 to 60 feet and a diameter 

 of 12 to 15 inches. A variety called the Norway poplar is 

 being used extensively for planting purposes. Cottonwood, 

 like willow, will start naturally from cuttings. These should 

 be made about 8 to 12 inches in length from the last year's 

 growth. Seedlings of cottonwood can also be found growing 

 wild along streams. These can easily be transplanted. The 

 trees in plantations should be spaced about 12 by 12 feet 



