WILLOW FAMILY 



which he used frequently to sit. About the time of his death 

 a storm shattered it and after the interment of the Emperor, 

 Madame Bertrand planted several cuttings of the tree outside 

 the railing which surrounded the grave. After various vicis- 

 situdes one of the willows was found to be in a flourishing 

 condition and from this one have been obtained the cuttings 

 which have enabled so many to possess a plant of the true 

 Napoleon's Willow. 



Landscape gardeners plant the Weeping Willow by streams 

 or waterfalls in conjunction with the Weeping Birch or in 

 contrast with the Lombardy Poplar. To treat it artistically 

 is oftentimes a problem, as it is difficult to make it harmo- 

 nize with other trees. 



It roots freely by cuttings and grows with great rapidity 

 in a rich soil, near water. Its shoots are brittle and neither 

 they nor the wood seem ever to have served any economic 

 purpose. 



POPLAR 



PSpnliis 



The word Popuhis is derived by some from pallo^ to vibrate or 

 shake ; others suppose that the tree obtained its name from being 

 used in ancient times to decorate the public places in Rome, 

 where it was called arbor pop^ll^ or tree of the people. 



The Poplars are a group of rapid growing trees closely 

 allied to the willows. Their range includes both temperate 

 and arctic regions and in the extreme north they produce ex- 

 tended forests. Nine species occur in the United States of 

 which five are native to the eastern part of the continent, 

 the others are Rocky Mountain or western trees. In addi- 

 tion to these, three European species are naturalized here ; 

 the White Poplar, P. alba, the Lombardy Poplar, P. nigra var. 

 italica, and the Black Poplar, P. nigra. 



The wood has become valuable of late for paper making. 

 The bark is heavily charged with tannic acid and in Europe 

 is used for tanning leather. 



410 



