92 Practical Forestry 



do not succeed better in smoky localities, being planted 

 principally for their refreshing colour in winter ; but if our 

 atmospheric conditions utterly preclude the use of such, 

 then it is folly to throw away money on useless planting, 

 and the winter aspect of deciduous trees and shrubs is 

 infinitely preferable to that of unhealthy evergreens. The 

 bursting into leaf of the deciduous tree or shrub is not 

 shared to a like extent by evergreens, which lack that 

 delightful changeableness and the interest that is attached 

 to spring growth. 



It is difficult to define accurately the boundaries of a 

 town or the worst smoke-infested areas, as far as tree and 

 shrub growth is concerned. In London, for instance, 

 certain trees and shrubs which positively refuse to live 

 in the heart of the city do fairly well in the suburbs, while 

 still further out, where the atmosphere is comparatively 

 pure, they may thrive in quite a satisfactory way. These 

 thriving and non-thriving areas are sometimes very sharply 

 defined, and this has given rise to a false idea regarding 

 certain trees and shrubs that will rarely succeed in the more 

 smoky parts when compared with the same species which 

 are found to do well in the outer suburbs. High-lying 

 and fairly open parts of a town are also far more conducive 

 to plant growth generally than those that are close and 

 confined. In town planting there is, however, no necessity 

 for the almost monotonous repetition of such trees as the 

 Plane and Lime, or amongst shrubs, of the Privet and Lilac, 

 for there are many others that will do almost equally well, 

 and that are quite as ornamental. Probably the fact that 

 such are not well known would form an excuse for their 

 absence, and it is to be hoped that at least one object to 

 be accomplished by the writing of this book will be a greater 

 interest in, and wider knowledge of, the various species of 

 trees. >hnilw, and plants generally that from long experi- 

 ence have been found suitable for planting in the town 

 garden. 



.Preparation of the Ground. Generally speaking, 

 the materials with which roadways are made are not 

 only unsuitable for tree cultivation, but positively destruc- 



