14 



TOWN-PLANTING, AND THE TREES AND SHRUBS 

 BEST ADAPTED FOR WITHSTANDING SMOKE. 



BY 



A. D. WEBSTER, F.R.S.E. 



To those whose lot is cast in or near our more important 

 centres of industry, this subject is of vast importance, and 

 one which, at the present time, occupies a large share of 

 public attention. 



The surprise experienced by most persons in this 

 country on first visiting any of the larger continental cities — 

 Paris, Brussels, or Berlin, and where street-planting would 

 seem to be considered as a matter of paramount importance 

 — is great indeed, and invariably leads to the somewhat 

 pertinent question : " Why cannot we make our cities 

 beautiful by planting suitable trees and shrubs ? " No doubt 

 there are a few drawbacks to be encountered in so doing, but 

 that very much more might be accomplished than has 

 hitherto been done is clearly evident to those who have 

 devoted even a small share of attention to the matter. 



The atmosphere of our larger towns and cities — London, 

 Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield — is, it must 

 be candidly admitted, impregnated to a far greater extent 

 with noxious fumes and vapours, than is that of any of the 

 continental towns above mentioned, and, therefore, the 

 difficulty of establishing many trees and shrubs is corres- 

 pondingly increased. 



Observations and experiments carried on during the last 

 fifteen years in three of the largest towns in Britain — 

 London, Glasgow, and Liverpool (a trial garden was for this 

 express purpose instituted in one of the most smoky districts 

 of East London) — have clearly proved, however, that there 

 are not a few trees and shrubs well suited for withstanding 

 even the deleterious effects of the impurest of town 

 atmospheres. 



