Chap. X.] TREES FOE CITIES. 159 



where a low and yet good shade is required. It is also worthy of 

 attention as a town-garden tree, and for similar reasons. 



The Ailantns glandulosa is a town-tree of great excellence. 

 When young it is graceful from its long pinnate leaves — when old 

 and well grown it hecomes a noble forest-tree. But the qualities 

 that will above all others recommend it to the town-planter are 

 its health and freshness, under all circumstances, in towns. 

 Dust, foul air, or drought seem to have no effect upon it. For 

 parks and avenues it is valuable, as it perfectly retains its foliage 

 long after our own deciduous trees have been scorched by drought 

 and dust. It seems to do equally well on all soils, having a 

 constitution which seems perfectly indifferent to any vicissitude of 

 climate of these latitudes. 



Everywhere in cities the Lombardy Poplar retains its health, 

 proving its claims to be far more abundantly used than it is at 

 present. Avenues of this tree would tell as well in some positions 

 in cities as single specimens and groups of it do in the landscape. 

 The drip of trees is sometimes objected to : this erect and close- 

 growing kind would seem to offer itself for rather narrow streets 

 and positions, where a spreading habit or a drip might be an in- 

 convenience at any time. Of other tapering, columnar, or fastigiate 

 trees, the pyramidal variety of the Oak and the tapering variety 

 of the Eobinia do particularly well in the parks ; and the last is 

 deserving of recommendation for the town-garden. 



Of weeping-trees, in addition to the long-proved and indispen- 

 sable Weeping Willow, we have the Weeping Birch, Ash, Beech, 

 and Elm, in all cases in perfect health in the parks. There is one 

 tree of those above-mentioned which ought to be much more 

 grown — the weeping variety of the large-leaved Elm (Ulmus 

 montana pendula). This is a tree of much beauty and character, 

 and it does not seem in the least to suffer from the atmosphere of 

 London. It is a weeping-tree of the first order : its foliage is 

 massive, shade dense, and outline most picturesque when thickly 

 clothed in summer — the backbone, so to speak, of each wide- 

 spreading branch being seen just glistening above the dense mass 

 of leaves. It is a hardier tree than the weeping Willow, and 

 never grows too high for a London or any other town- garden ; in 

 all courtyards or open gravelled spaces, in little squares wherever 

 a shady tree is desired, it is invaluable. 



