THE BOULEVARDS. 



127 



de TEnipereur amounted to tlie large sum of 82;,000/, From 

 tlie preceding the kind of difficulties tliat have been over- 

 come in carrying out such works in Paris of recent years 

 will be tolerably apparent. A large work might be filled 

 with like details. 



Naturally the features of the boulevards which command 

 most attention in this book are the trees. The advantage 

 of having a full knowledge of the best boulevard and city 

 trees is so great that a special chapter is devoted to them. 

 It is truly surprising to see how well these are managed in 

 Parisj and to what an enormous extent they are planted^ as 

 well in the centre of the city^ on the boulevards^ and along 

 the river,, as on the scores of miles of suburban boule- 

 vards^ radiating avenues and roads^ the sides of which one 

 would think capable of supplying Paris with building 

 ground for a dozen generations to come. The planting in all 

 the London parks is as nothing compared to the avenue 

 and boulevard planting in and around Paris. The trees are 

 nearly all young, but very vigorous and promising. Every 

 tree is trained and pruned so as to form a symmetrical 

 straight-ascending head, with a clean stem. Every tree is 

 protected by a slight cast-iron or stick basket ; it is staked 

 when youngs and when old if necessary, and nearly every 

 tree is provided with a cast-iron grating six feet wide or so, 

 which effectually prevents the ground from becoming hard 

 about the trees in the most frequented thoroughfares, 

 permits of any attention they may require when young, and 

 of abundance of water being quickly absorbed in summer. 

 The expense for these strong and wide gratings must be 

 something immense, but assuredly the result that will be 

 presented by the trees a few years hence will more than 

 repay for all the outlay by the grateful shade and beauty 

 they will afford the town in all its parts. As soon as a new 

 road or boulevard is made in Paris, it is planted with trees ; 

 and every one of the millions is as carefully trained and 

 protected as a pet tree in an English nobleman^s park. 



The trees recently planted on the boulevards are placed 

 at a uniform distance of between sixteen and eighteen 

 feet. To plant so closely of course helps to furnish the 



