POP 



POP 



much freer motion than could have taken place 

 had their plane? been parallel. This trembling 

 of the leaves has been so generally noticed as to 

 have become proverbial. This tree is of speedy 

 growth, and will grow in any situation or soil, 

 but worst in clay. It impoverishes the land : 

 its leaves destroy the grass, and the numerous 

 shoots of the roots spread so near the surface, 

 that they will not permit any thing else to grow. 

 The wood is extremely light, white, smooth, 

 woollv, soft, durable in the air. Pannels or 

 pack-saddles, cairns, milk- pails, clogs, pattens, 

 ice, are made of the wood. It is a native of 

 Europe, from Sweden to Italy. 



The third has a naked lofty trunk, covered 

 with an ash-coloured bark, and a regular hand- 

 some head : the leaves are slightly notched on 

 their edges, smooth on both sides, and of a light 

 green colour. They have no glands at the base, 

 but the serratures are glandular on the inner 

 side: the petioles are yellowish. It is a tree of 

 quick growth, and on the banks of rivers and 

 in moist situations it grows up to a great height, 

 throwing out numberless suckers from the roots. 

 It loves a moist black soil, and bears cropping 

 well : the bark, being light like cork, serves to 

 support the nets of fishermen. The wood is not 

 apt to splinter : it is light and soft, and some- 

 times used bv turners. It is incomparable, ac- 

 cording to Evelyn, for all sorts of white wooden 

 vessels, as travs, bowls, and other turner's ware; 

 and is of especial use for the bellows-maker, be- 

 cause it is almost of the nature of cork, and for 

 ship-pumps, though not very solid, yet very 

 close and light. It affords useful rafters, poles, 

 and rails, and in a proper soil makes a very 

 quick return for such purposes. It is excellent 

 for floating-boards, and is much used for the 

 purposes of deal in some midland counties. It 

 is a native of Europe, from Sweden to Italy. 



The fourth species differs from the third sort 

 chiefly in its close conical maimer or growth, 

 like the Cypress. Tha leaves are greater in 

 breadth than length, whereas in that the longi- 

 tud nal diameter is the greatest. 



This has been esteemed by some as- no more 

 than a variety of that; and indeed itcan scarcely 

 be considered as a distinct species. It has 

 been stated in Mr. Young's Annals, that tiie 

 Italian Poplar is fit to cut for building uses in 

 twelve years, and that at eight years g;. /th they 

 are forty feet high. For rafters, small beams, 

 studs, boards, &cc. it is very durable. 



he peculiar use of it in this country has hi- 

 therto been for ornamental plantations, and co- 

 vering unsightly buildings. To the latter pur- 

 pose its upright close conical mode of gr< 

 with its feathering very readily down to the very 



ground, particularly adapts it. The conic form 

 of it, as a deciduous tree, is peculiar. Among 

 evergreens we find the same character in the 

 Cypress : raid both trees in many situations have 

 a good effect. One beauty the Italian Poplar 

 possesses which is almost peculiar to it ; anil 

 that is the waving line it forms when agitated 

 by wind. Most trees in this circumstance are 

 partially agitated ; one side is at rest, while the 

 otlter is in motion ; but the Italian Poplar waves 

 in one simple sweep from the top to the bot- 

 tom, like an ostrich-feather on a lady's head. 

 All the branches coincide- in the motion ; and 

 the least blast makes an impression upon it, 

 when other trees are at rest. Although this tree 

 sometimes has a good effect, when standing sin- 

 gle, it generally has a better when two ur 

 three are planted in a clump. 



In the fifth, the growth seems not to be to a 

 very large size: the bark is smooth, like that of 

 the third sort ; the young branches have much 

 the same appearance, but their annual shoots 

 are seldom more than a foot in length. The 

 leaves resemble those of the Pear-tree ; arc about 

 four inches long, and an inch and half broad in 

 the middle, drawing towards a point at each 

 end ; their upper side is of a deep green, and their 

 under side is hoarv ; they stand upon long foot- 

 stalks, and are placed without order upon the 

 branches. The male flow ers come out front the 

 side of the branches in long catkins, in April 

 and May, and fall off soon after; their stamens 

 are numerous, irregular in height, and crowntd 

 with headed anthers of a purple colour. The 

 hermaphrodite flowers ate produced at the end 

 of the shoots upon long slender peduncles, in 

 verv loose catkins, havinsr a leafy involucre un- 

 der each, which is oval and entire ; and from 

 the bosom of that arises the peduncle, which is 

 very short. Upon the top is placed the petal or 

 calyx, (or nectary, according to Linnaeus) shaped 

 like a wide cup, having a lar^e stvle in the cen- 

 tre, and two stamens on one side, terminated 

 by pyramidal purple anthers. These flowers ap- 

 pear in July, and are succeeded by oval capsules 

 terminating in a point, and inclosing downv 

 seeds. The scaly covers of the buds abound 

 with a tenacious balsam in the spring, becoming 

 liquid by heat. It is of a yellowish colour and a 



fragrant scent. It is a native of Canada 



some other parts of North America. 



There are varieties, with much wider leaves ; 

 the Daurian, with a longer ovate leaf, more like 

 this -ort ; and an Altaic variety, with a lanceo- 

 late leaf. 



In Siberia the trunk is straightish, not tali, 

 covered with an ash-coloured bark; the 

 reddish, closer, and a little harder than in the 



