The Cultivated Poplars. 237 



curious introduce irrelevant and jarring effects, and thej' should 

 never be made emphatic or prominent features of a place. Trees 

 of very unusual or striking character, as the Lombardy and BoUe 

 poplars, must, likewise, be used with the greatest caution, and, 

 above all, their formality and strangeness should not be enforced 

 by planting them in rows, in rural places. 



The poplars are examples of trees which should be used only 

 for secondary or incidental effects in landscape gardening, and 

 never to construct the body or main features of the planting. 

 Cheap trees produce cheap effects. 



The Lombardy poplar may be used to advantage now and then 

 in a group of trees to add spirit and vigor ; but it should rarely 

 be seen as an isolated specimen. The tree is used indiscriminately, 

 because it grows rapidly in all situations and because its oddity 

 pleases many people. It is so much abused that its legitimate 

 value is obscured. 



The varieties of the white poplar or abele are, in general, even 

 less desirable than the Lombardy. As ordinarily planted, they 

 are immodest and ugly trees, especially the whitest varieties, and 

 their use in farm yards, country cemeteries and all small places 

 should be discouraged. 



Poplars which should be encouraged for ornamental planting 

 are the common cottonwood, the common wild aspen, the normal 

 or erect form of the large-toothed aspen, the Certinensis poplar, 

 Populus elegans of the nurseries, and the European aspen. 



Poplars of particular value for shelter belts and timber are the 

 Certinensis, cottonwood, balm of gilead, and possibly Populus 

 Simonii. 



Species of rather heavy and dark foliage and .strong growth, 

 and which may be used for groups or masses, are the balm of 

 gilead, Nolestii, and probably Populus Sieboldi and P. Simonii. 



Among the species and varieties which are interesting because 

 of natural peculiarities and which may be used for incidental 

 effects or as single specimens, are Populus angustifolia, various 

 forms of the balsam poplar (especially the variety viminalis) , and 

 forms of the European black poplar. 



Weeping varieties are found in several species. The best is 

 probably the drooping form of Populus Tremula, the European 



