The quickness of growth of this tree is so great that it will sometimes make shoots from eighteen to twenty feet in length in one year; and the trees attain their full growth in the course of twenty years. The _wood_ is white and soft, but tough and of close grain, and not subject to warp or shrink. Hence it has been found useful for the flooring of rooms, and for making laths and packing boxes. For turnery ware it is preferred to most other kinds of wood, on account of its peculiar whiteness, and the ease with which it is worked in the lathe. "Of this wood," says Evelyn, "people also made shields of defence, in sword and buckler days." The _bark_ of the abele-tree is said to be serviceable as a remedy in intermittent fevers; and Dioscorides informs us that if it be chopped small and sowed in rills, well and richly manured, it will yield a plentiful crop of mushrooms. 263. _The ASPEN, or TREMBLING POPLAR_ (Populus tremula), _is a tree which grows in moist woods; has nearly circular leaves, toothed and angular at the edges, smooth on both sides, and attached to footstalks so long and slender as to be shaken by the slightest wind._ There is scarcely any situation in which the aspen will not flourish, but it succeeds best where the soil is moist and gravelly. Its _wood_ is light, porous, soft, and of white colour; and, though inferior in excellence to that of the white poplar, is applicable to many useful purposes, particularly for field-gates, the frames of pack-saddles, for milk-pails, clogs, and the wood-work of patterns. It is improper for bedsteads, as it is liable to be infested by bugs. In some countries the _bark_ of the young trees is made into torches. 264. _The BLACK POPLAR_ (Populus nigra, Fig. 75) _is a native tree of this country, known by its somewhat trowel-shaped leaves, which taper to a point, and are serrated, and smooth on both sides._ This tree grows rapidly, and attains a considerable size. Its _wood_ is soft and light, and in some respects useful to engravers; and is occasionally sawed into boards, though these are not in general much esteemed. The _bark_ is so thick and light that it is not unfrequently used by fishermen as buoys or floats to support their nets. The inhabitants of Kamtschatka dry and pulverise the _inner rind_ of the black poplar-tree, and use it as an ingredient in bread. The _buds_, when they first appear, are covered with and contain a viscous and fragrant juice, which may be advantageously used in plasters. 265. _The LOMBARDY or ITALIAN POPLAR_ (Populus dilatata) _grows wild in Lombardy and the northern parts of Italy, and is distinguished by its somewhat trowel-shaped and serrated leaves, being smooth on both sides, and wider than they are long._