52 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Stirling Maxwell to increase the small park of Greenbank, in 

 the Pollokshaws district. This is to be entirely laid out for games, 

 to meet the necessities of the rising generation of a growing residential 

 district, as well as those of the old burgh of Pollokshaws. Mean- 

 while, it also is under garden allotments and agriculture. 



Within the past month an area of 6 acres has been given by 

 Sir Archibald Campbell of Garscube to form a playground and 

 recreation centre at Temple, in the north-west district of the city, 

 which has also a growing population. 



Plants. 



Regarding trees and shrubs, visitors and citizens, as well as 

 strangers, frequently remark on the absence from our parks of certain 

 species of trees and shrubs. Apart from the vagaries of climate, the 

 geological and physical conditions of the locality require to be con- 

 sidered. Though the annual rainfall is fairly heavy, averaging nearly 

 40 inches, that would not be a serious objection were the natural 

 soil of a free gravelly nature, but unfortunately much of the soil 

 in the district is boulder clay, through which water percolates slowly, 

 and therefore the soil is naturally cold. Consequently it is unsuitable 

 for many beautiful species of trees and shrubs ; while in addition 

 there is the smoke-fiend, common in all crowded areas, but inten- 

 sified an hundredfold in a busy manufacturing city by the multi- 

 farious emanations from its various works chemical and mechanical, 

 which poison and destroy all but the hardiest forms of plant-life. 

 Our soot deposit is 200 tons per square kilometre per annum. Under 

 such adverse conditions it is obvious that care and discrimination 

 are very necessary in the selection of trees and shrubs to suit the 

 exigencies of the situation. The list which will be given is somewhat 

 meagre considering the vast amount of interesting trees and shrubs 

 in cultivation in this country. It is one, however, based on close 

 observation and study of the subject. Generally speaking, deciduous 

 trees and shrubs are the most suitable, and a larger selection can be 

 made from that class. The difficulty is, however, great in regard 

 to evergreens. No large-growing evergreen trees are available, as 

 none of the fir and pine tribe will thrive amidst the smoke and dirt 

 of the city. A few of the smaller-growing species may exist for a 

 time, but by no stretch of imagination can they be said to succeed. 

 Our best evergreen shrubs are those which have smooth convex- 

 shaped leaves, such as aU broad-leaved hollies of the Hodgins 

 class, Aucubas, Rhododendrons of the catawbiense type, and smooth- 

 leaved plants generally, excluding, however, common and Portugal 

 laurels, which are not good smoke-resisters nor suitable for wind- 

 swept places. To widen the field of selection, experiments have been 

 made by planting a wide variety of species under diverse conditions, 

 and valuable lessons have resulted therefrom. 



Turning from the higher to the more lowly, nearly all herbaceous 



