THE ROMANCE OF OUR TREES 



ment. To South America also it has been carried, 

 and in Chile (where possibly are the finest specimens 

 in cultivation) and the Argentine it is a commonly 

 planted tree near dwellings and on the side of irriga- 

 tion canals where it luxuriates. In France this tree 

 has been planted a-plenty but it is not now looked 

 upon with so much favour as in the past. To thrive 

 properly it requires fairly good soil and to be well 

 supplied with water at the roots. Nowadays it has a 

 decided tendency to form dead wood and become 

 scrawny, and some have suggested that this is a sign 

 of old age. Since all are and have been propagated 

 by cuttings from the original tree this suggestion 

 may be the true explanation of the present decline in 

 health and vigour of the Lombardy Poplar. 



238 



