214

A DISCOURSE

book i. of our herbals. I wish we had more of them, but they are difficult to

elevate at first y .

4. The Aspen only (which is that kind of Lybica, or White Poplar,bearing a smaller and more tremulous leaf, by the French called LaTremble, or Quaker,) thrusts down a more searching foot, and in. thislikewise differs, that it takes it ill to have its head cut off. Pliny wouldhave short truncheons couched two feet in the ground, but/first two daysdried, at one foot and a half distance, and then moulded over.

5. There is something of a finer sort of White Poplar, which the Dutch call Abele, «nd <we have of late much of it transported out of Holland .These are also best propagated of slips from the roots^ the least of whichwill take, and may in March, at three or four years growth, be transplanted.

6 . Tn Flanders (not in France , as a late author pretends) they havelarge nurseries of them, which first they plant at one foot distance, themould light and moist, by no means clayey; in which though they mayshoot up tall, yet for want of root they never spread : for, as. I said, theymust be interred pretty deep, not above three inches above ground, and

y This tree is called by Linnaeus uriodendron (tuijpifera) foliis lobatis. Hermancalls it tulipifera arbor virginiana ; and Plukenet and Catesbv, tulipifera virginiana ,trijiartilo aceris folio; media lacinia velut abscifsa ; also tulipifera caroi.inijxa, foliis productio-ribus magis angulosis. The tulip-tree. It is of the clafs and order Polyandria Polygynia.

The Tulip-tree is a native of North America : It is a tree of the first magnitude, and is gene-rally known through all the American States by the title of Poplar. Of late years therehave.been great numbers of these trees raised fro.m seeds in the English gardens, so that nowthey are.become common in the nurseries about London ; and there are many of them inseveral parts of England which do annually produce flowers. The first tree of this kindwhich flowered here, was in the gardens of the late Earl of Peterborough, at Parsons Green,near Fulham, which was planted in a wildernefs among other trees ; before this was plantedin the open air, the few plants which were then in the English gardens were planted, in pots,and housed in winter, supposing they were too tender to live in the open air ; but this tree,soon after it was placed in the full ground, convinced the gardeners of their mistake, by thegreat progrefs it made, while those which were kept in pots and tubs increased slowly in theirgrowth;, so that afterward there were many others planted in the full ground, which arenow arrived to a large size, especially those which were planted in a moist soil. One of thehandsomest trees of this kind, near London , is in the garden of Waltham Abbey; and atWilton, the seat of the Earl of Pembroke, there are some trees of great bulk ; as also at. Bishopthorpe, the pa]ace of the Archbishop of York. The old tree at Parsons Green is quite