The Cottonwood, Poptdus dc/toidot, our largest poplar, is a stately tree, sturdy gray trunk. and broad symmetrical dome. The tree grows in moist soil from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains. Its leaves are triangular, broad at base, and tapering to a slender point. They are fixed upon lung slender petioles. The foliage mass is bright green and glossy, and responsive to every breeze. The staminate tree is especially beautiful in spring, when decked with the rosy catkins. The flowers make little chow on the pistil late trees. They are easily overlooked among the green leaves. When the fruits are partly developed they be conspicuous as long racemes of green balls. The custom among children of stringing these fruits into necklaces gave the tree its early botan ical name, Popuitrs moni/i0a, mean ing "necklace-bearing In early summer the pods discharge the minute seeds, each one of which is Nvalted away on a delicate silken float.
TIie Swa nip Cottonwood, 1'oimlu8 heterophy 11a, is a slender tree of medium size, which grows in boggy ground from Connecticut to Louis iana. Its leaves are ovate and blunt, lined in spring with white fuzz, which is seen also on young shoots. For this reason the tree is called the Dowiiy Poplar.
Tie Black Poplar, Popu/us tqitpw, of Europe, is sparsely scattered in this country. It resembles the cot tonwood, but has smaller leaves. which are more shallowly toothed. The foliage mass is dark and luster less when compared NVith that of the cottonm KAI Closely allied to it is the next species.
The Lombardy Poplar, P,Ipillts (lila/gig, is one of the most striking of tree forms. Its narrow, spire-like outline is familiar to all The branches grow up closely appressed to the central stein. The young tree is a thrifty grower, but the top soon becomes choked with the multitude of branches. The great buttresses of the lower trunk grow coarse and warty. The tree retains its dead branches, and the beauty of its youth is departed. Insect enemies attack the wood and the foliage. The roots continually send lip suckers. The extermination of these is well-nigh impossible. The Lombardy Poplar has been much planted as a roadside tree, but without good reason. It gives little or no shade, except when set too close for comfort or health of the trees. I fancy the uni formity, the formal, soldier-like bearing of a row of them was what caught the fancy of those who planted them. Nevertheless, the Lom bardy Poplar has a place in landscape-gardening. Two or three of them in a close group among round-headed trees add a pleasing variety to the scene. They may be planted singly here and there, in order to repeat the strong vertical lines of spire, chimney, or tower. (Jr at the very end of a row of some other kind of tree, one of these may stand like au exclamation point, aid serve to revive the interest in a country that would otherwise be flat and featureless. But as a roadside tree. or standing alone, the Lombardy Poplar is stiff and cheerless in aspect. .1s its name implies, it came originally from southern Europe. Some botanists consider it a
variety of Popalus niyra.
The Quaking Asp, or Aspen, Po/mitts trem/duides. is a beautiful tree when young. Its bark is gray and An Aspen copse is one of the finest things in the spring landscape. It is worthy the brush of a Constable or a Corot. In Nareli the bare limbs show green under their bark, one of the first prophecies of spring. Then the buds cast their brown scales and thrust ont the fuzzy gray catkins as a guarantee of(rood faith. As the season advances, there are few shades of olive or rose, few textures of silk and velvet. that are not duplicated as the catkins lengthen and the downy leaves unfold.
The Russian peasant says of the Aspen of Europe, There is a tree that trembles though the wind does nut blow." We may say the same of ours. If you have never exam ined an Aspen leaf, you have a treat in store. You may be curious to know by what subtle mechan ism the Aspen accomplished its feat of perpetual motion. The long, pliant leaf stems are flattened in a plane at right angles with the blade, and on the stillest summer day. against the motionless foliage of other trees, the Aspen leaves twinkle and dance owl catch the sunlight like ripples on water. And the sound of them is music, soft and melodious.
'Tie Large-toothed Aspen, Populus yrandidodatu,is distinguished from the species just described by its coarser habit, and by the lorge and irregularly rounding teeth of the leaf margins. This tree grows in low grounds and rich woods from Nova Scotia south to North Carolina, and west to Minnesota and Tennessee.
The Balsam Poplar, pules balsamifent. is known in winter by its great terminal buds, that are varnished with a fragrant, glutinous sub stance. The tree has small oval leaves, which are pale or rusty under neath. The branches grow erect, with some suggestion of the Lombardy poplar habit, but the head never elongates enough to be confused with the latter species.
The Balm of Gilead, Pop this imIsrt»iiic•r, var. mmlicans, a cultivated variety of the balsam poplar, is one of the finest shade trees in the genus. It has a. round head and dark rich foliage. The broad heart-shaped leaves are paler beneath. The waxy buds of these Balsam Poplars are industriously visited by honey-bees in early spring. They collect the resinous wax make a cement with which they seal up cracks in their hives. The name Propolis " is given to this cement by bee-keepers.
We read in the butanies, "'Tie wood of poplars is weak, light and of slight value for fuel or In the forests, poplars have been considered to be fought, or tolerated oily as temporary -nurse trees" for seedling conifers and hardwood trees. But the perfecting of the processes of making paper and miscellaneous articles, from a. baby's rattle to a etc wheel, oat of wood pulp, has suddenly raised the poplar to a position of great economic importance. A forester has recently said : If I could replace the maples in the state forest, by poplars to-day I would du it gladly. It would be worth thousands of dollars to the state.