1648

ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM.

PART III.

very fine appearance, either when planted singly, or on the margins of woods jfrom its fine, round, and somewhat pendulous head, the beautiful glaucousgreen of its leaves, and, above all, by their perpetual trembling. The shadeof all the poplars is considered more wholesome than that of any other tree ;and that of this species is thought better than any of the others. The greatdrawback to the tree, when planted singly on lawns or pastures, or in hedge-rows, is the number of suckers which it throws up; and which, if not eatendown by cattle, or mown, would soon turn a whole country into an aspenforest. Perhaps it might be grafted on P. nigra, which does not throw upsuckers, or possibly on some kind of willow.

Poetical and legendary Allusions. The constant quivering of the aspenleaves has rendered the tree a favourite subject of allusion to the modempoets, and others, who have wished to find a comparison for anything inconstant motion. One of the most curious superstitions respecting this treeis that of the Highlanders, who believe that the cross of Christ was made ofit, and that, consequently, it can never rest. This, however, as Miss Kentobserves, can hardly apply to the leaves, as the cross could not have beenmade of them; but perhaps, she adds, “they struggle to escape from thewicked wood on which they grow.” ( Syl . Sketches, p. 31.) Gerard comparesthe leaves to women’s tongues, “ which seldom cease wagging.”

The following are some of the principal poetical allusions to the aspen: —

.. — “ His hand did quakeAnd tremble Kke a leaf of aspen green.”

Spenser.

“ A perfect calm ; that not a breathIs heard to quiver through the closing woods,

Or rustling turn the many-twinkling leavesOf aspen tall.”

Thompson.

Sir W. Scott has many allusions to this tree; particularly in the well-known lmes,—

“ Oh, woman! in our hours of easeUncertain, coy, and hard to please,

And variable as the shade

By the light quivering aspen made,

When pain or sicknesss rends the brow,

A ministering angel thou.”

Soil, Situation, A?c. As the roots of this tree chiefly extend close underthe surface of the ground, it is not necessary that the soil should be deep ;but, for the same reason, it ought to be loamy, rich rather than poor, and con-stantly moist. Hence, also, this tree is better adapted for soils that are con-stantly wet below, than almost any other tree, since its roots, by keeping so verynear the surface, are never out of the reach of the air, which they would beif they penetrated into soil perpetually saturated with water. The conditionswhich this tree requires in respect to soil are found in moist woods, wherethe shade of the tree diminishes evaporation, and where the annual fall anddecay of the leaves produce a constant supply of leaf-mould. The nextmost favourable situation is an open moist meadow, in which the tree, beingfreely exposed to the light and air on every side, attains its largest size, andassumes its finest form. In dry soils, the tree will live for many years, butnever either attain a large size, or display its foliage to advantage. Whenplanted in masses by itself, the trees may be placed at the distance from eachother of 6 ft. or 8 ft. every way; and such a plantation, on a suitable soil,will have attained perfection in 50 or 60 years, and may be cut down astimber. After felling, the shoots seldom push vigorously; but the abundantsuckers from the roots will produce a second crop of timber, if that shouldbe considered advisable. Treated as a coppiee-wood, it may be cut downevery 7 or 8 years, for faggot-wood; and, for poles, every 15 or 20 years.When mixed with other trees in a timber plantation, the most suitable sortsto plant with it are said to be the oak and the beech.