THE BEST TREES TO PLANT 53 



patches, renders the Plane one of the most 

 picturesque of our woodland trees. In Port- 

 man and Manchester Squares specimens have 

 attained to a size rarely exceeded by the tree 

 when growing under more favourable atmo- 

 spheric conditions. Other examples of 

 equally rapid growth and development are 

 the beautiful trees in Bedford, Russell 

 and Gordon Squares, also in Lincoln's Inn 

 Fields, many being fully 7 oft. in height, with 

 a branch spread of 80 ft. and a stem girth of 

 from 5 to 6 ft. at 3 ft. from the ground level. 

 No doubt in all these cases the healthy con- 

 dition and giant proportions to which they 

 have attained are mainly due to the care with 

 which the trees were planted and to good 

 management in timely pruning and providing 

 ample room for the development of root and 

 branch. But in many other of the London 

 squares, where the atmosphere is by no means 

 pure, the Plane tree may be seen in all its 

 glory of leaf and branch. It is, however, not 

 only in the squares and gardens of the great 

 metropolis that the Plane thrives in a satis- 



