The Public Gardens and Parks of Paris. 103 



•while the annual clipping and consequent ugliness of these would 

 fee done away with. 



As for the making of the roads and streets it is admirable, as 

 many readers may have learnt for themselves. When they have 

 finished repairing or making a street here, the surface is level and 

 crisp as the broad walk in the Regent's Park, so that the horses 

 are spared much pain, and carriage movement greatly facilitated. 

 Stones of much the same size as we spread on the roads are thrown 

 down, and then comes the heavy steam or horse-drawn roUer, 

 making but a slight impression at first, as might be expected, and 

 indeed it has to be passed over many times ere the work is com- 

 pleted. But they persevere and roll away day and night, and soon 

 the street looks as described. All the time, or nearly all the 

 time that this rolling is going on, a man stands at the side of the 

 footway in charge of a hose on little wheels, and keeps swishing 

 the stones with water, whQe others shake a little gravel on them 

 between the rollings, and so they wash and roll and grind day and 

 night, the result being that the Parisian roads are as comfortable for 

 locomotion as could possibly be desired. Doubtless such manage- 

 ment as this, the immense improvement effected in Paris gar- 

 dens of late years, and their perfect keeping, will act beneficially 

 ■on the horticulture of the country generally ; and unless some 

 happy change should start us on the same road to improvement, we 

 shall soon have good reason to be ashamed of the state of our towns 

 and cities. Asphalte is coming into very extensive use in Parisian 

 improvements. Nearly all the fine wide pathways in the boule- 

 vards are made with it, and now in many parts noiseless smooth 

 roads are taking the place of those of paving-stones. But, in the 

 case of all the great boulevard and main roads, an improved 

 system of macadamizing is the rule — a considerable breadth on 

 ■each side being well paved for heavy waggon transit. The asphalte 

 is used in two forms — as a powder and as a liquid. It is used in a 

 liquid state for the making of those fine wide footways, often wider 

 than our roads, that occur so frequently in Paris. 



To depose the asphalte properly, the area must be well levelled 



