2 Edinburgh's Park and other Trees. [Sess. 



of the air, this is not of such vital importance in a city like 

 Edinburgh as it is in large industrial cities generally. Another 

 tree which succeeds well in the city is the English elm ( Ulmus 

 campestris) (Plate II.), but it has been very little used in the 

 public parks. There the Scots or Wych elm (U. montana) 

 is the species which has found most favour, but it has not 

 the elegance of the English elm, nor, on account of its more 

 widespreading head, is it so well adapted to street and 

 avenue planting as that species. Moreover, it is a much 

 more difficult plant to train into shape in the young state, 

 and in this respect also compares very unfavourably with the 

 London plane and the English elm, both of which naturally 

 require much less pruning than this species. 



The Scots plane (Acer Pseudo-platanus) is the only one 

 of the maples which is much in evidence ; but in the more 

 central parts of the city it is somewhat disappointing, as 

 soon after foliation its leaves become soiled, and not in- 

 frequently old trees are completely defoliated in September. 

 In the outlying parts of the city, however, it is more at 

 home, and it has been successfully used as a street tree 

 in Braid Avenue, in the southern suburbs. But, as may 

 be seen in Murrayfield Avenue, in the western suburbs, 

 where it has been planted in combination with that species, 

 even though the air is almost as pure as in the open 

 country, as a street tree the Scots plane does not compare 

 favourably with the London plane, either as regards vigour 

 of growth or otherwise, and its tendency to form a much 

 wider-spreading head than the latter tree unsuits it to any 

 but the wider thoroughfares. A near ally to the maples is 

 the horse - chestnut (uEsculus hippocastanum), but there are 

 very few fine specimens of this tree in the city, and these 

 are mostly in private gardens. It is not a tree which is 

 well adapted to street planting in the city, but as a subject 

 for avenues in parks, where sufficient width can be got be- 

 tween the lines, it has much to recommend it for planting in 

 the outlying parts. Both the common and the red-flowered 

 species (sE. carnea) are excellent park trees, but the latter 

 does not produce such an imposing effect as the former. 



Either as an avenue or a park subject, there is no more 

 elegant tree than the lime or linden. The common species 



