. Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture; Agriculture. BULLETIN OF THE No. Contribution from the Forest Service, Henry S. Graves, Forester December 31, 1913. COTTONWOOD IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. By A. W. Williamson, Forest Examiner. IMPORTANCE OF COTTONWOOD. Cottonwood is one of the important timber trees native to this country. Twenty years ago it had almost no value; to-day its wood is extensively used and the demand for it is much in excess of the supply. It is a tree of very rapid growth. On rich lands yields of from 4 to 5 cords of wood per acre per year are not
. Bulletin of the Department of Agriculture. Agriculture; Agriculture. BULLETIN OF THE No. Contribution from the Forest Service, Henry S. Graves, Forester December 31, 1913. COTTONWOOD IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. By A. W. Williamson, Forest Examiner. IMPORTANCE OF COTTONWOOD. Cottonwood is one of the important timber trees native to this country. Twenty years ago it had almost no value; to-day its wood is extensively used and the demand for it is much in excess of the supply. It is a tree of very rapid growth. On rich lands yields of from 4 to 5 cords of wood per acre per year are not uncommon. Yields of over 30,000 feet of merchantable timber can be obtained in 40 years, and 20 years is sufficient to produce timber of fair dimen- sions. Cottonwood is especially valuable in the Mississippi Valley region, where it offers exceptional inducements for the conservative handling of timberlands in which it occurs, or for forest planting. Cottonwood's importance as a tree for artificial forestation is attested by the fact that it has claimed the attention of forest plant- ers in many foreign countries, such as France, Germany, Belgium, and Argentina. (See PI. VI, fig. 1.) By careful selection certain French horticulturists have developed from this species improved varieties which are said even to exceed the original form in rapidity of growth. In South America, at the mouth of the Parana River in Argentina, a very extensive and lucrative industry has been developed by growing cottonwood on land subject to frequent in- undations. (See PI. II.) These plantations furnish saw timber from 10 to 12 inches in diameter. On account of the scarcity of timber there, boards but 3 or 4 inches wide and 6 feet long find a ready market at high prices. Such plantations pay as high as 15 per cent on the money invested. In this country the possibility of growing cottonwood commer- cially, either by planting or by favoring it in natural stands, has not yet received the attention it de
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