148 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
timber equal in quality to that grown here. The trees
mature in 12 years if conditions are ideal, and by this time
should have reached a girth of at least 48 inches. Of course,
many trees will grow much more slowly than this, and it-
may take 18 years before they reach such a girth. The
annual increment of the trunk is very great, and the width
of the annual rings is sometimes over one inch, whilst the
average is two-and-a-half to three rings per inch.
Poplar. Since the last war, and due entirely to the
shortages of suitable home-grown timber for match-making
during hostilities, probably the greatest acreage of new
planting of any forest tree in the county will have been
Populus robusta. This is a hybrid between Populus
angulata and Populus nigra Plantierensis, and the best
strains for match-making have been imported from Belgium,
where P. robusta has been grown for a long time just for
this purpose. This tree should be planted at 18-20 feet apart
or 120-130 per acre, and the only wiring necessary is an
18-inch collar around each tree which will cost about 1s.
per tree, or £6 per acre. This has resulted in many odd
corners of land that would otherwise remain derelict, being
planted with this quick-growing, useful and decorative tree.
It is not particular as regards soil, being one of the few pop-
lars which will thrive on chalk soil, but it will not survive
in very dry situations. Marsh-land seems to be ideal for its
rapid growth, and it gives all the indications of being a tree
suitable for planting on all sites except dry gravels and
sands. The trees can be obtained up to 14 feet in height,
but I prefer one- or two-year-old trees of four to seven feet
in height, as they are cheaper to handle, much easier to
plant and less liable to wind damage before they become
firmly rooted in their new site.
A small copse that was re-planted a year ago illustrates
the enormous saving that can be made by planting poplar
instead of the usual run of forest trees. This particular
copse is only 11/2 acres in area and was clear felled last year
except for a few peripheral trees and one isolated group, so
that 160 trees were needed. They cost about £20, and were
planted in February, 1952, by two men in one day. The