NURSERY AND PLANTING. 



in extensive plantations, plants from four to five years old from 

 seed will always succeed best. 



There are many species of maple, (to which family the Syca- 

 more belongs,) but none of them are likely ever to be cultivated 

 with a view for timber-trees in this country ; and indeed the 

 demand for this timber has been on the decline of late years, 

 since the demand of wooden household dishes has been almost 

 supplied by the superior manufacture of earthenware, and the 

 wood of the sycamore is now used chiefly by the cooper, and in 

 some parts of machinery. 



Poplar. — (Populus.) 



Of this genus there are several species that may be considered 

 as timber-trees, and are all of them of exceedingly rapid 

 growth; of them the white poplar, Abele, {Populus Alba,) is con- 

 sidered one of the most valuable, and with the black, (P. Nigra,) 

 the trembling, (P. tremula,) and the Lombardy poplar, (P. dila- 

 tata,) may be considered the most valuable to the profitable 

 planter. The other species merit more general cultivation 

 than they appear to do at present, as they are all extremely 

 ornamental when in selected situations, and under certain cir- 

 cumstances. The wood of all the species is sofi;, as is the case 

 generally with rapidly growing trees, and although they are upon 

 the whole short lived trees, compared with their neighbours in 

 the grove, yet the wood of them is by no means liable to decay. 

 The wood being soft, is much used by the sculptor, turner, and 

 toy-maker, and occasionally by the cabinet-maker and musical 

 instrument maker. The bark of P. nigra is sufficiently astrin- 

 gent to be used successfully in the process of tanning leather. 



The Abele may be said to have been principally brought into 

 notice as a valuable timber- tree, by Lord Sheffield, who used it for 

 floors at Sheffield Place, Sussex ; and by Ponty, who not only 

 recommended it in his valuable work on profitable planting, but 

 also introduced it in many of the extensive plantations which he 

 has so successfully superintended in various parts of England. 

 The latter, speaking of the above floors, says that, in appear- 

 ance they " are superior to any other floor he has seen, whether 



