ARBORICULTURE IN HAMPSHIRE. 



43 



expenses, of an acre of black poplar, at fixed periods of five 

 years : — 



Statement showing the Proceeds of an Acre of Black Poplar 

 in Forty Years. 



At 10 years old, 1st thinning, . 



mi 



mi. 



£5 o o 



10 o o 



25 



60 



170 



£270 



From this it appeal's that an acre of black poplar may realise a 

 clear profit of £270 in forty years, or an annual rental of £6, 15s. 

 for the time the crop has occupied the land. This will appear 

 large to those who cut from time to time without keeping a record 

 of their transactions. They will be astonished to see such profits 

 from a crop of which the first and second thinnings are quoted as 

 " nil." But the black poplar, comparatively worthless when 

 young, is one of our most profitable timber trees, well adapted for 

 planting on tracts of wet, cool soil, of little value for agriculture. 



The Lombardy poplar is better known, and frequently planted 

 adjacent to farmhouses and villa residences, for ornamental pur- 

 poses. The timber is of little value, but is of rapid growth, and 

 the tall conical heads, towering like church spires, are excellent 

 landmarks, and break the monotony of level masses of trees. 

 Their extreme height renders them more susceptible of motion 

 than other trees, and the least blast makes them wave from top 

 to bottom. They form a natural and beautiful accompaniment to 

 buildings, and small clumps are more effective than single speci- 

 mens. These and the aspen poplar are the only two varieties 

 well known in the south. The tremulous motion of the leaves of 

 the aspen is curious, and has occasionally given rise to supersti- 

 tious notions. The long, grey, horizontal branches are not devoid 

 of beauty, but as an ornamental tree it will never take a prominent 

 position. Its wide-spreading roots ramify beneath the surface, and 

 produce numerous suckers which render it unsuitable for lawns or 



