E. L. Demmon, Director 

.. Orleans, La. 

EABLY SURVIVAL OF OOl'TONWOOD AND 

, 

ltYBRID POPLAR PLANTATIONS AT STONEVILLE, MISS. 

By 

Henry Bull, Silviculturist 

and 

J. A. Putnam, Associate Forester 

Southern Forest Experiment Station 

, In cooperation with 

DELTA EXPERIMENT STATION, Stoneville, Miss. 

The majOr port1an,ot this study was carried on in cooperation with the 

Mi88isa1pP1 Av1cultura~ Experiment Station under 'the Cooperative Farm Forestry 

Act of' 1937. ' , . 
7. lanted after the dormant eriod. 5tor.ed do~t cutt abowed higher survival than fresh en tinge When 

planted atter the do!1AaDt period.: stored dormant :20-inch cuttings planted 

16 inches deep Ihowed 6 to 18 percent better survival when planted at the 

tl~e cottonwood buI. opened in- the woode, and 46 to 52 percent better 

survival when planted,'2" to :3 weeks after the buds opened, than tresh cutting. 

of the sue apeclri~tiOD" ~ ~'. 

stock ~ 

greater was 

proportion of the length of the planting 

9. 5i 1 tt n to date of lantin. The effect of site on the 

survival ot .eedlinp , eJMmded on the date of planting. On the ridge, fresh 

seedling. planted early .howed better survival than stored seedlings planted 

late. In tae eW&llp, however, stored seedlings planted late showed petter 

sur1'iVtt-: than fre.h eetdlings planted early. These differences probably are 

due to the adver.e' .tt.ot ot the ridge becoming dryer, and the beneficial 

effect of the swa.p becoming dryer, as the season advanced. Fresh cuttings 

showed no consistent differences in survival between the ridge and the swamp 

at the earlier plantings, but higher survival in the swamp at the later 

plan t1r1is • 

10. Len and de th of lantin of the best cut tin s in relation to 

!!!I.., Tw.Qty-inch au\t Ilga generally showed higher survival than shorter 

or longer crntttng., and the effect of depth of planting depended an the aite. 

In the swamp better SUrvival usually was obtained with relatively shallow 

planting, whereas on the ridge, relatively deep planting generally was better. 

Conclusions 

Present indications are that seedlings make the best cottonwood planting .tock, that they should be obtai ned and planted before the buds open in 

the apring (or obtained at that time and held in cold storage if the planting 

is to be done attar growth has started), and that they should be cut back to 

24 inches or les. immediately following planting. If fresh seedlings &reUsed, 

ridges may be planted at any time before cottonwood buds open in the wooda, 

but s~. should -be planted as late in -the dormant period as possible. If 

stored ,.edling' are used, ridges should be planted soon after growth starts 

in the wooda, and swamps should be planted later when the water table is much 

lower. A more complete analysis and report will be made following the survi?al exeminatioD in the fall pf 1940, at the end of the first complete growing season. 

-4-
Site: flat 

Species and class of stoyk 

Hybrid poplar cutttoie 

(Nonterminalll) ,_ 

, 

Oxford Paper Co. No. 6 

(P. nigra x P. laurifolia) 

Oxford· Paper Co. No. 14 

(P. charkowienais ' x P. balsamifera 

vir ginian..) ''- . 

Oxford Paper Co. No. 21 

(P. charko .. ten~ie x P. caudina) 

Oxford Paper Co. No. 29 

(P. charkdwiensis x P. trichocarpa) 

Oxford Paper Co. No. 33 

(P. angulata x P. oerolinensis) . Oxford Paper Co. No. 39 

(P. petrows~ana x P. caudina) 

Oxford Paper Co. NO • . 42 

(P. maximowiczii x P. trichocarpa) 

Oxford Paper Co. No" 48 

(P. manl'llo-,i.csii x P. berolinensis) 

Qxtotd ·p.per·Co. No. 53 

(P. maximowiczli x P. caudina) 

Oxford Paper Co. No. 55 

(P. tacamahacca clon candicans x P. 

berolinensis) . 

Fre.h cottonwood cuttings 

T.rminal cuttingsll ~onterminal cuttings 

Terminal cuttings 

Nonterminal cuttings 

Terminal cuttings ' . Nonterminal cuttings 

lresh :cottonwood seedlings 

Cut back to 2-inch stem 

Not cut back 

Length Depth ! 

of of ToW. 

cutting planting Planted 1 Alive 

- - Inches - - Humber Percsnt 

12. 

12 

]2 

12 

12 

12 

12 

12 

12 

12 

]2 

12 

16 

16 

20 

20 

9 

9 

9 

9 

9 

9 

9 

9 

9 

9 

9 

]2 

12 

15 

15 

87 

87 

87 

88 

88 

88 

88 

87 

88 

88 

44 

44 

43 

44 

43 

43 

44 

44 

60 

71 

66' 

45 

86 

89 

36 

49 

97 

57 

45 

51 

50 

47 

53 

84 

68 

., 

Y A terminal cutting is one made from the end of a shoot, including the 

last or terminal bud. 

- 5 -
'l'4ble 2. -E riment 0-5: 

Cl... of .tock Length of Depth ot Site. cutting planting - .- - n ea - - -

'. ~. 

. !!:_ cuttinae 10 

- 6 R1dp 100 17 99 18 100 , 

10 6 Swup t:;l 28 99 3' 98' 19, 10 8 R1dp 100 35 100 44 100 '~ 

10 8 8wUp 83 .30 I 89 42 .) 

20 , 12 Rillge 99 54 '~ 100 

. 36 lOQ 

20 12 Swaap 99 , 55 100 35 " lQJ 

20 16 Ridge lOO 64 100 53 100 

'" 20 16 SwaMp 97 26 100 2C) 98 

40 15 Ridge 100 33 100 17 100 

40 15 Swup 99 37 99 30 100 

40 20 Ridge 100 53 100 27 100 

40 20 Swamp 100 36 100 23 ]00 

" 60 18 Ridge 50 24 50 10 50 

I 60 . 18 Swamp 50 40 50 14 50 

60 24 Ridge 50 32 50 16 49 

60 24 Swamp 50 38 49 8 50 

12· Percent 

Stored cuttin~s 20 16 Ridge 100 71 100 53 100 5-3 . 20 16 Swamp 98 35 100 55 ]00 54' 

Top cut 

back to March 11 

Freah aeed1in~s 4 Ridce 25 88 1~ 92 12 8 

4 

- Swamp 25 80 11 73 12 ~ 

18 - 24 . Ridge 25 80 13 69 13 15 

18 - 24 s-.p 2S 88 13 85 13 15 

Not cut back Ridce 50 64 2S 88 25 4-

Not cut back SWaJRp 50 46 25 52 25 8 

S~re48eed1inls 4 Rid,. 

12 83 

4 . Swap 12 92 

18 - 24 Ridp 13 69 

18 - 24 Swap 

13 100' 

Not cut back Ridge 25 48 

Not cut 3ck SwaaE 25 ~ 

,. 
I 

~ 

I 

,. ........... ~ .. . . 

!able ).-Cott,ppwood planting stock with at 1eaet 25% survival. 20th plantations 

Site "PM 6 - 8 

Kind of ltooJJl Sur-

'viva) 

fercst Mr 'J'reah sdlgs. 4" SS ~, Fresh s~s. 20" SO 

Fresh sdlge. Uncut 64 

Fresh otgs. 20-16" 64 

Fresh ctga. 20-12" 5,4 

Fresh ctgs. 40-20" 53 

Fresh ctgs. 10-8" 35 

Fresh ctgs. 40-15" 33 

Fresh ctgs. 60-24" 32 

~wamy Fresh sdlgs. 20" 88 

D-5 Fresh sd1gs. 4" 80 

Fresh ctgs. 20-]2" 55 

Fresh sdlgs. Uncut 46 

Fresh ctgs. 60-18" 40 

Fresh ctgs. 60-24" 38 

Fresh ctgs. 40-15 11 37 

Fresh ctgs. 40-2011 36 

Fresh ctgs. 10-8" 30 

Fresh ctgs. 10-6" 28 

Fresh ctgs. 20-16" .26 

January 30 - February 2 

Elli Fresh sdlga. 2" 84 

(D-2) Fresh scilgs. Uncut 68 

Fresh ctgs. 12-9" 5] 

Fresh ctgs. 16-12" 5j 

Fresh ctgs. 20-15" 50 

Planting date 

. March 25 - 27 April 15 - 17 April 26 

Kind of atoc1cJ./ I ~~1 ·Kind of etoa~1 Sur-

'Viva! Kind of stocJcl/ I :~~ 

fers;am~ . b£~.t flrr.!ut 

Fre8h sdla8. 4" 92 Stored otgs. 20-J6tt 53 stored ad1gs. 4" 8.3 

Fresh sdlge. Uncut as stored sd1g8. 20" 69 

Stored ctgs. 20-)6.1 71 Stored ctgs. 20-16" '3 · Fresh seUga. 20" 69 Stored sdlgs. Uncut 48 

'Fresh ctgs. 20-16" 53 

Fresh ctgs. 10-8" 44 

Fresh ctgs. 20-]2" 36 f . 

Fresh ctgs. 40-20" 27 

Fresh 8d]gs. 2011 85 Stored ctgs.20-l6- 55 Stored scilgs. 20" 100 

Fresh sd] gs. 4" 73 Fresh ctgs. 60-24- 32 Stored sd1gs. 4" 92 

Fresh sd1gs. Uncut 52 Fresh sd1gs. 4" 25 Stored scilga. Uncut 84 

Fresh ctgs. JO-8" 42 Stored ctgs. 20-16" 54 

Stored ctgs. 20-]6 11 35 

Fresh ctgs. 10-6" 35 

Fresh ctgs. 20-]2" 35 

Fresh ctgs. 40-]5" 30 

Fresh ctgs. 20-6" 29 

11 The figures following "adl gs" (seedlings) represent the height in inche8 to whioh they were em t back atter 

planting. The figures following 'Ictga" (cuttings) represent the length and the depth ot planting, 

respecti vely, each in inches.