40 FORESTS, WOODS, AND TREES 



set apart for its lungs and for recreation grounds. Good 

 water supply and sewage, fewer people per house, and good 

 ventilation have undoubtedly kept down the death-rate of 

 large towns ; but tliere is no means of determining exactly 

 how much of this improvement may be due to the extension 

 of parks and open spaces. The influence of parks, especially 

 if the trees form real woodlands, and give children and 

 tired workers pure air, must be considerable. The amount 

 to be apportioned in a city, and how much of each park 

 should be under trees, is as yet undecided (5). Mr. Holmes 

 has secured returns from the fifty chief towns in the 

 kingdom, showing that in 1883 they possessed in the 

 aggregate one acre of parks and open spaces to 760 people ; 

 whereas 20 years later, in 1903, notwithstanding an 

 increase in population of 50 per cent, there was one acre 

 of parks and recreation grounds to 635 people. In the 

 County of London (6) there was in 1883 one acre of open 

 space to 950 persons, whereas in 1910 there was one acre 

 to 750 people. Birmingham in 1917 had one acre of 

 parks and open spaces to 625 inhabitants. 



Mr. Holmes condemns the ordinary school playground 

 with its hard surface and high walls as being like a prison 

 yard, and no wonder the children prefer the streets. He 

 agrees with me that the best form of playground is a grove 

 of trees, with a bare sandy surface beneath. The natural 

 feature of the larger parks and commons should be carefully 

 preserved ; the less elaborate the treatment the better, as 

 the public love areas over which they can wander at will, 

 and are too often hindered in their games and exercise by 

 enclosures, railings, and notices. 



The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest and 

 Natural Beauty has done admirable work since 1895 in 

 acquiring for the enjoyment of the public many properties 

 of interest. Some of these are woodland and of value in 

 the wide sense to public health. The most interesting is 

 perhaps Box Hill, 234 acres in extent, which was presented 

 to the National Trust by Mr. Leopold Salomons in 1914. 

 Others are Ide Hill, near Sevenoaks, 21 acres, purchased in 



