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It would be worthwhile to promote cultivation of this tree in our forests because it grows 

 quite rapidly and it's wood is sturdy, especially if it's allowed to dry out before using it. 



The trunk of my Tree of Heaven provided an opportunity for an experiment on the 

 preservation of wood. After cutting it down in 1810. 1 divided the trunk into three 

 portions. One was buried three feet down, a second was placed in an open shed sheltered 

 from the sun and rain, and the third was left on a garden path exposed to all the seasonal 

 changes in weather. Three years later I cut these three pieces of the Tree of Heaven open. 

 The buried one had the heaviest wood per volume; it was the most solid and had the 

 finest grain. The one that had been lying in the garden yielded the worst wood. 

 Nevertheless that's the way that our most valuable wood for shipbuilding is often stored. 



CULTIVATION. The flowers emit an unpleasant odor. The roots spread widely 

 like those of the sumacs. The tree is readily propagated from suckers and even from root 

 sections. 



KEY TO PLATE. 



660. Tree of Heaven. Flower prior to opening. 2. Male flower, open and intact. 



