124 THE PARKS AND GAEDENS OF PARIS. [Chap. VIII. 



80 freely that each tree seems as if it tried to fill up the square. 

 When the multitudinous fires are active around them in winter, 

 these trees give us in the dreary wastes of London a glimpse of 

 the beauty of the wild woods. And let it not be thought that 

 the Plane is the only tree that would thrive perfectly in our 

 squares, even in the most smoky and crowded parts. It would 

 take a long list to enumerate all the beautiful deciduous trees 

 and shrubs that grow in the temperate and colder regions of 

 the world, and the great majority of which would do perfectly 

 well in our London squares, if properly planted and attended to. 

 It would be perfectly easy, even with our present knowledge, 

 to select as many beautiful trees that would thrive in the squares 

 of London, as would represent in them the brake and forest 

 beauty of every important cold region in America, Europe or 

 Asia. To select such trees and shrubs, and plant them so as to 

 secure to each a due amount of light and air for its develop- 

 ment, should be the aim of those responsible for the squares of 

 London. 



One way of encouraging desirable variety would be the devoting 

 of one square to the trees and shrubs of a particular country; 

 one, for example, might have British trees and shrubs alone, 

 another American trees, another Chinese and Japanese trees and 

 shrubs, and so on. It would be permanent, too ; and permanence 

 in these matters simply means saving of constant trouble and 

 expense. But there is no reason whatever why the squares 

 should be devoted to hardy trees and shrubs alone. On the 

 contrary, the best way would be to allow much latitude, so as to 

 secure variety. When people begin to understand the management 

 of city gardens, one of the first principles they will discover is 

 that each square and small garden should differ as much as 

 possible from its neighbours. Some of the suburban squares 

 might be devoted to that evergreen vegetation which cannot be 

 grown in the central parts; some in all parts might be gaily 

 decorated with flowers and fine-foliaged plants ; others chiefly 

 with hardy flowers and shrubs, and so on. But little of this 

 kind could be well done unless all or most of the squares were 

 under one responsible head, who could determine what was best 

 to do in each case and prevent imitation and paltry rivalry. 



Private interests and public prejudice may be against the 



