10 THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. [Chap. I. 



grass, an eighth roads, and more than seventy acres water. In 

 some spots it has more beauty and finish than any of our London 

 parks J while in others large spaces are covered with a thick scrubr 

 like wood, in which there is an abundant growth of wild flowers, 

 such as are never seen in our prim London inclosures. There are 

 plenty of wild Cowslips dotted about, even over the best parts of 

 it, in spring. 



From a landscape-gardening point of view, the great drawback 

 of the Bois is its want of breadth. Except for the roads and 

 avenues that intersect it, it is, speaking generally, a mass of 

 dense monotonous wood. There is no open, airy space of any 

 extent (except the broad roads) for a long distance from the gate 

 nearest Paris. This of course is stupid in a park of such vast 

 extent. Even if efifect were not taken into consideration, it must, 

 nevertheless, be remembered that the result of such dense masses 

 of low wood is to prevent that motion of the air which is so desir- 

 able in a great park. It would be difficult to find a city park so 

 ill-arranged in this respect. It is owing to other things than 

 design that the parts more distant from Paris are breezy, open, 

 and pleasant to the eye. The racecourse of Longchamps and the 

 training-ground necessitated open spaces, and the result is very 

 satisfactory from a landscape point of view. 



Various banks and rocks near the water here are very tastefully 

 adorned with Ivy and rock-shrubs. The planting of the banks 

 near artificial water offers an opportunity for securing good effects 

 which are worth studying. The contrast with the water, and the 

 certainty that from across the water at least the result of tasteful 

 planting will be seen and not be obscured by chance or unre- 

 strained growth or unwise planting, should encourage the planter 

 to devote his attention to the subject. One happy effect here is 

 afforded by ivy on the rocky margin of the water, in combination 

 with rock-shrubs and hardy Cupressus and Junipers. Sheets of 

 luxuriant Irish Ivy fall over the rocks and carpet the banks. This 

 is welcome in winter, when it forms such a contrast to the dug 

 surface on which so many shrubs have to stand through most of 

 the year. Among the evergreen rock-shrubs and low conifers 

 suitable for such positions, a few good deciduous early-flowering 

 shrubs may be placed with charming effect ; such, for example, 

 are the Japan Pyrus (P. japonica) and its, varieties, the Forsythias, 



