206 NATUKE STUDY 



the bark, and the agreeable spicy odor and taste of both 

 bark and leaves. It is found most frequently in the 

 mountains, and is highly valued for its wood, which is 

 extremely beautiful, much used for furniture and also 

 for fuel. 



The Poplars and the Willows : 



These trees form a natural family of striking characters, 

 and have many and important uses. Both are remarkable 

 for the size and length of their roots, for their fondness 

 for water, for their easy propagation, and for their hold 

 on life. 



Their buds, flowers, and methods of fertilization have 

 been already spoken of. 



The best-known poplars are the Balsam Poplar {Popii- 

 lus halsamifera var. candicans), North Carolina Poplar 

 (P. monilifera), the White Poplar (P. alba), and in some 

 places the Lombardy Poplar (P. dilatata), and the Aspen, 

 or Popple (P. tremidoides), as it is called by the country 

 people. 



The balsam poplar is a great favorite in cities, because 

 it makes a good-sized tree sooner and more surely than 

 any other. But its branches are very brittle, breaking 

 in the wind, and its roots are apt to find, penetrate, and 

 fill up any but iron drainpipes. 



Its fragrant buds are very attractive in the spring, and 

 also its reddish, caterpillar-like flowers. Nevertheless it 

 would be better to use it chiefly to act as a screen and 

 shelter to young and more valuable trees. 



The Carolina poplar, also known as the necklace 

 poplar, because of the resemblance of its long catkin of 

 matured fruits to the beads of a necklace, has also been 

 called, for obvious reasons, the Virginia, the Swiss, and 



