Illustrated Canadian Forestry Magacine. December. ig20 



575 



A "pole forest" of Aspen Poplar on the North Pine River, Peace Kiver, Alberta. 



duced into the Prairie provinces. These 

 inchide the P. petrovski, P. certinensis 

 and P. wobstiriga. They are difificult to 

 distinguish one from tlie other and com- 

 monly all go under the name of Russian 

 poplar. The silver or white poplar (P. 

 alba) derives its name from the silvery 

 velvet under surface of its ma])le like 

 leaves which is in sharp contrast to the 

 very dark green and shining upper sur- 

 face. This downiness is not confined to 

 the leaves alone but covers the buds and 

 twigs and makes the tree roailily distin- 

 guisha])le even in llie winler. The sil- 

 ver i)()plar is a good sized tree fmni 40 

 to 75 feet high and a dianu'tcr of 2 to 4 

 feet ami lias been e\lcnsi\ (.'K- plantetl 

 throughout luislcni Canaila and tlir Xew 

 England States. In (•(inimon wiili nian\- 

 of our native rotlonw (m ids il lia^ llir had 

 habit of, sfudiiiL; up root Mickrrs and 

 thereby ])ro\iug iisclf a nuisance near a 

 lawn or gardfu. 



///(• I .oinluudx. 

 'Idle l.oiiibardy poplar so iianu-d !)r- 

 causc i( was origiualK- belii'\i'd lo lia\i' 

 conu' from l.onibard\ is now ^aid lo In- a 

 native of tlu' high iiioinilaiiis of .Xf^haii 

 estan. it has been iiiiu-Ii planted in ibis 

 conntr\- for onianieul bei-aust> of iis \er- 



tical habit of growth which has given it 

 the name of the exclamation point among 

 trees. The spire like habit makes it 

 rea.lily distinguishable from all other 

 trees. When young and vigorous it has 

 some value in landscape planting but 

 when older it often becomes unsightly 

 because of the many lower dead and leaf- 

 less branches w liicli it retains. 



riie three Russian i)oplars are ver\- 

 hardy and in many sections of the 

 ])rairies a])])ear to withstand the winters 

 even l)etter than the native Cottonwood. 

 idieir habit of growth and general re- 

 (|uirenients are \ery similar. When 

 young their growth is extremely rapid, 

 cuttings often reaching the height of JO 

 to 2? feet in from eight to ten years. 

 I 11 ioriiiiiaiel\ . however, these trees are 

 ■-ubieei lo earl\ decax', i>articularly when 

 growing ou liea\ y clay land and this fact 

 discourages llie setting out of extensive 

 plantations unless it is to obtain (|uick 

 results as a ^heller belt or to produce 

 small -^i/ed lualerial for fuel. However 

 siiui' iliey ni.ike rapid growth and are 

 ia--il\ propagated from cutting, decayed 

 iri-es can be replaced in a comparativelv 

 short tiiue b\ \oiinL;er ones. 



I'.. K. M( ^\<V( )\. 



