In the western states, where this tree abounds, it is much used in building and carpentry. The timber is light and yellow, and the tree is commonly called the Yellow Poplar in those districts, from some fancied resemblance in the wood, though it is much heavier and more durable than that of the poplar.
When exposed to the weather, the wood is liable to warp, but as it is fine grained, light, and easily worked, it is extensively employed for the panels of coaches, doors, cabinet-work, and wainscots. The Indians who once inhabited these regions, hollowed out the trunks, and made their canoes of them. There are two sorts of timber known; viz. the Yellow and the White Poplar, or Tulip tree. These, however, it is well known are the same species (L. tulipifera); but the variation is brought about by the soil, which if dry, gravelly, and elevated, produces the white, and if rich, deep, and rather moist, the yellow timber.
