THE LOMBARDY POPLAR, 



49 



THE LOMBARDY POPLAR. 



No tree that ever came to England has 

 had greater vogue than this in past 

 times, although of late years the unde- 

 served planting of theCalifornian coni- 

 fers has caused it and others to be less 

 planted. Many trees of it are 

 diseased, especially where the 

 situation is not well chosen 

 for them. In the old books 

 there was much said as to 

 what the Lombardy Poplar 

 was, but there is little doubt 

 now of its being a variety of 

 the Black Poplar (Populus ni- 

 gra), and, like all varieties of 

 trees, inferior to the wild tree 

 in health and vigour. Varie- 

 ties of trees are often curi- 

 ous and distinct, but we can- 

 not expect them to attain to 

 the dignity of the wild tree. 

 The Lombardy Poplar is a 

 great tree in the Italian valleys 

 like those of Aosta, and there 

 it attains a noble vigour, as it 

 does, indeed, in our own val- 

 ley, fc 



to planters by their form, and so have 

 become more widely spread. 



In any case their interest to us de- 

 pends on their value in cultivation, and 

 we shall never get their full beauty un- 

 less we plant them in valley soils near 



:y, tor the good soil beside 

 the river is the best for it. Of 

 late years another handsome 

 upright Poplar (P. Bolleand) 

 has come into cultivation, 

 which looks like a variety of 

 the White Poplar, but it is 

 said to be wild in parts of 

 Asia, much the same as the Lombardy 

 Poplar is said to be in Asia Minor. It is 

 not unlikely that, struck by the distinct 

 habit of these trees as making them more 

 fitted for planting near roads and by 

 streams, they may have been attractive 



LOMBARDY POPLARS BY MILL POND, KENNET VALLEY. 



streams and rivers, which usually have 

 good soil beside them. In the north of 

 England and in Scotland the Lombardy 

 Poplar does not thrive, but in valleys of 

 the midland counties fine trees may be 

 seen, particularly in Oxfordshire, where 



