The PoPLAtu 



the tree; and, in general, a very ugly tree it is; but it 

 grows fast, yields a great deal of stuff to make rough 

 boards of, outgrows a Fir beyond all comparison, and 

 makes good stuff for packing-cases, and other things for 

 which pasteboard is a little too weak. 



480. The sorts that we have in England, are the Abele 

 Tree {Populus Alba) ; the Aspen {Populus Tremula) ; the 

 Black Poplar (Populus Nigra) ; and that well-known 

 great, staring, ugly thing, called the Lombardy Poplar, 

 which, to all its other amiable qualities, is very apt to fur- 

 nish its neighbours with a surplus population of caterpil- 

 lar and other abominable insects. The first of these, the 

 Abele, is, however, a really fine tree, grows to a great 

 size and great height, especially near running water, and 

 produces timber, by no means to be despised. The wood 

 takes a fine polish, it is close-grained, though light ; and is, 

 take it altogether, and considering all its uses, far prefera- 

 ble to the wood of the Elm ; but I have never seen it of 

 any considerable size, except in rich land, or very near to 

 running water. 



481. The largest I ever saw, and the loftiest also, stands 

 opposite to a fine farm-house, near the Thames, on the road 

 from Hampton to Chertsey Bridge. The leaves of this 

 tree are white on the under side, and give the tree a white 

 appearance when blown up by the wind. The trunk, also, 

 is of a whitish hue, speckled with black. This tree throws 

 up abundance of suckers. If standing where the suckers 

 are mowed off by the scythe at hay-cutting time, it will 

 send up a new crop for the next year. Hence, this fine tree 

 is always raised from suckers. Like parent like child, and 

 the young trees send out suckers, and infest the whole 

 neighbourhood with them, by the time they attain the 



