112 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



7iigra is somewhat rare, and a different tree from the black 

 Italian, P. serotina ; but the text would have us infer that these 

 are one and the same thing. Then, again, is the Abele poplar, 

 P. alba, common in towns? Our impression is that the grey 

 poplar, P. canescens, more frequently does duty for the true 

 Abele, and to its credit does it well. Our experience with all 

 poplars, other than alba, cafiescetis, fasttgmta and tremula, is that 

 after they reach thirty years of age they are very liable to 

 canker and die off piecemeal. Their value for town planting is 

 due to their rapidity of growth, which enables them to be used 

 to produce early effects, and to act as sheltering nurses to trees 

 of slower grow- th, while P. balsamifera is indispensable owing to 

 its early leafing and its delightful fragrance in spring. 



One is further tempted to ask why some tested and reliable 

 species are barely mentioned, or omitted entirely, while some 

 of doubtful utility are recommended. For example, only the 

 common lime, Tilia vulgaris, is mentioned. There are some 

 forms superior to the type, and for a certain class of work 

 T. petiolaris has proved a superior tree. The oaks also are 

 surely worthy of a corner. It is true that the British oak, 

 Quercus robur, as also the majority of the American species, 

 will not thrive in smoke, but the Turkey oak type generally do 

 fairly well. The Pyrus family might well have been amplified 

 as well as the thorns — Craf(egt4s — both of which are amongst 

 our best town trees. 



If the sins of commission and omission are great in regard 

 to the trees, they are equally so regarding the shrubs. While we 

 cordially agree with the author in many cases, especially in his 

 remarks as to the greater use of deciduous flowering shrubs, and 

 are pleased to see that he has brought m.ore prominently into 

 notice some of the less known kinds, such as Osmanthus, 

 we cannot ignore the loose statements made regarding many 

 plants. Compare, for instance, the remarks on Biiddleia variablis, 

 on pp. 98 and 127. Why has Mr Webster omitted B. globosa? 

 It is as hardy as any of the other species, and is an interesting 

 plant too. We quite admit the quaint beauty of Olearia macro- 

 donta, but do not admit that it is superior as a town shrub to 

 O. Haastii. We cannot get the former to live over an ordinary 

 winter, whilst the latter has frequently withstood 20 degrees of 

 frost, and we grow thousands of it for town planting. 



.Seeing- that the number of evergreen shrubs suitable for town 



