THE POPLARS. 
391 
trees, which is manifestly unfair. The various 
kinds of poplar have come in for their share 
of calumny, and in many quarters a vast deal 
of prejudice exists against them : they have, 
however, their use, and this is what it is our 
purpose now briefly to set forth. 
The principal kinds of poplar cultivated in 
this country are the following, which we shall 
briefly notice separately ; the Abele, the 
Aspen, the common black Poplar, the black 
Italian Poplar, the Lombardy Poplar, the 
Tacamahac, or balsam Poplar, and the Ontario 
Poplar. Besides these there are several 
others, some of which are not uncommon. 
The Abele, or white poplar (Populus alba), 
is a large growing tree, of which several va- 
rieties are in cultivation : it attains as much 
as ninety feet in height. It is by some said 
to be the same tree as that mentioned in the 
Bible under the name of shittim-wood. The 
roots of this kind throw up numerous suckers ; 
the branches are white, and densely downy 
when young ; the leaves are deeply lobed, and 
toothed on the margin ; and the buds are with- 
out gum. The grey, or common white pop- 
lar, (JP. canescens), closely resembles this in 
general properties. The wood of both kinds 
is very white and light, and is much used for 
flooring, but for this purpose requires to be 
well seasoned ; it is also used for making 
packing-cases, as it does not crack when nails 
are driven into it ; wherever lightness either 
of weight or colour is required, it is especi- 
ally suitable. The trees do not bear lopping, 
owing to the softness of the wood, and its 
liability to shrink or crack ; even when mo- 
derate sized branches are cut off, the wound 
should be covered with clay. It is one of the 
species well suited for filling up and thick- 
ening plantations, and for this purpose trun- 
cheons of ten or twelve feet long and four or 
five inches in diameter may be planted. 
The Aspen, or trembling leaved poplar (P. 
tremula), of which an engraving stands at 
the head of this article, is a very ornamental 
object. It forms a large tree, but seldom more 
than from fifty to seventy feet high. Its roots, 
however, much impoverish the soil, and its 
leaves are detrimental to pastures. Its growth 
is rapid, and the branches extend horizontally, 
and at length become more or less pendulous. 
A variety called pendula has a very beautiful 
drooping habit. The leaves are roundish 
ovate, and toothed on the margin. This tree 
does not bear lopping well. The wood is 
white and tender, and is employed by turners, 
coopers, sculptors, joiners, and cabinet makers, 
and for various minor uses. 
The common black poplar (P. nigra) is a 
very rapid growing tree, attaining to the height 
of thirty or forty feet in ten years, and ar- 
riving at its perfection in from forty to fifty 
years, beginning to decay when from sixty to- 
eighty years old. The leaves are deltoid, 
pointed, and saw-edged. The tree bears lop- 
ping, and treated as a pollard produces an 
abundance of shoots ; when cut down to the 
ground annually, it throws up numerous shoots 
like the willows. The wood is soft and yellow, 
and more liable to split than that of either 
the Abele, or the Aspen ; it is, however, a 
good deal used for packing cases, and in Ber- 
lin the wood produced by knotty trunks, which 
is curiously mottled, is much used in making 
ladies' workboxes. 
The black Italian, or 'necklace-bearing 
poplar (P. monilifera), is the most rapid 
growing of all the species. It will grow to a 
height of thirty or forty feet in seven years, 
and ultimately attains a height of from a 
hundred to a hundred and twenty feet. The 
leaves are deltoid, with a sharp point, almost 
cordate at the base in some cases. The wood 
of this tree is equal in quality, if not superior 
to that of the other poplars, and from its ex- 
ceedingly rapid growth, a very large quantity 
is produced. Its large size renders it more 
fitted for building purposes. When employed 
temporarily to fill up plantations, or for im- 
mediate effect, proper attention should be- 
given to thinning the trees, and to removing 
them before they injure others ; otherwise 
they very soon overpower them. The stem 
is straight, and by judicious early pruning 
may be kept clear of branches to any height. 
The Lombardy, or fastigiate poplar (P. 
fastigiata), is of a totally distinct habit from the 
rest of its family, and indeed almost every 
other tree ; both stem and branches assume 
and retain a perfectly erect position, and reach 
a great height with a very inconsiderable 
diameter ; this habit is termed fastigiate. The 
growth of this tree, in favourable soil, is very 
rapid ; an instance is recorded where one hun- 
dred and twenty-five feet was attained in fifty 
years. The ultimate height varies according 
to circumstances from a hundred to a hundred 
and fifty. The trunk is twisted, and very 
deeply furrowed, and the wood, which is small 
in quantity in proportion to the height of the 
tree, is of little worth or duration. The leaves 
are deltoid, and much acuminated, crenulated 
along the whole margin. From its peculiar 
habit it is a very useful tree in landscape com- 
position. 
The Tacamahac, or balsam-bearing poplar 
(P. lalsamifer-a), and the Ontario poplar (P. 
candicans), have a close general resemblance 
to each other. They are of very sturdy and 
somewhat upright habit, and attain, the former 
from forty to fifty, and the latter from fifty to 
sixty feet in height, growing rapidly while 
young. They both delight in rich soil, near 
water, and under these circumstances grow 
