The Lombardy Poplar. 289 



grace, that is composed of straight lines ; so true is this fact, that 

 our genuine artist has the greatest abhorrence of everj'thing that 

 is stiff and formal. There may be situations in which a Lombardy 

 Poplar can contribute harmony, the imagination is not ade- 

 quate to resurrect the spot, and therefore I await the advent of 

 some fortunate chance whicli sliall make the disclosure, lie fur- 

 ther remarks, that their utmost excellence is attained, " when shoot- 

 ing up their taper lieads here and there among other trees, like the 

 tall spires of churches among wide blocks of houses, giving variety, 

 point and character to a finished picture." That's a picture, is it ? 

 — a pointed picture, we are told — a finished picture ! shade of 

 Hogarth ! what is to become of the ixirahol ? 



" The Lombardy Poplar," again remarks the profound expositor of 

 beauty "is a universal tree'' to which I will answer, so is the pig- 

 weed a universal weed — and a universal nuisance. " It throws up 

 no suckers" Indeed, now, friend Allen, 3'ou uttered that sentence 

 in a very positive manner. If you will come to Albany I will show 

 a tree so completely invested by suckers, that only a single branch 

 of the original tree gets nourishment enough to retain the vital 

 spaik. The Lombardy Poplar is notorious for suckers, it is di- 

 aecious. The Creator when he made trees whose fecundating organs 

 were distributed male and female on separate trees, very wisely 

 provided another method of perpetuating their species in case the 

 two sexes were not in juxtaposition. As a natural result, all 

 disecious trees tlu'ow up suckers from the root, or are readily prop- 

 ogated by cuttings of the root, or branch. Only the male tree of 

 the Lombardy Poplar has ever reached America.' One may ask, " if 

 the Lombardy Poplar is not ornamental, if it is not useful for tim- 

 ber, why should it have an existence ?" I consider it a special 

 provision for the country to which it is indigenous, being pecu- 

 liar to a mountainous district, where other species would scarce 

 exist, hence its rapid growth may be considered fortuitous ; another 

 reason is, mountainous countries do not have their valleys over- 

 blest with sunshine, owing to the Icnghtened shadows cast by inter- 

 vening hills. It is therefore apparent that if their forest trees 

 were of the sprawling kind, not even a stray sunbeam would reach 

 terra firma unless the trees were denuded of foliage, Mr. Allen 

 should associate more particularly Avith the progressive influences 

 of the age, and not endeavour to hew out original suggestions 



