274 
THE FLORIST. 
inches wide, make a favourite edging with the French gardeners. 
Great taste is displayed in mixing their colours. Erysimum Peroffski- 
anum is their favourite orange, as Calceolarias do not thrive well in 
France, and they use the white annual Chrysanthemum in large quan¬ 
tities ; this looks well at a distance, but is not so effective as the 
Pyrethrum or white Verbena, but the habit is good, and it blooms 
continuously through the season. Verbenas, Petunias, Salvias, Gera¬ 
niums, and Dahlias were in great splendour. Altogether, the planting, 
keeping, and general effect of these gardens contrast most strikingly 
with the bald, meagre appearance of the London squares and parks. 
The decay of the Elm in Paris and its environs has caused the 
authorities who have charge of the avenues in the Champs Elysees and 
Boulevards a deal of trouble, and is a source of regret to all who 
reside at or visit Paris. They appear to have suffered from an 
attack of the Goat Moth, and more especially from the Scolytus ;• so 
much so, that there is scarcely a healthy tree of the Elm to be met 
with near Paris; some hundreds have been removed this present 
season from the Champs Elysees, and replaced by other kinds of trees, 
and it will, I daresay, surprise many of your readers to know that 
these vacancies have been filled up with trees varying from 15 to 30 
feet in height, and of corresponding dimensions, during all the summer, 
indeed, we believe the last, composing an avenue near the Palais 
de l’lndustrie, was only finished a day or two before I saw them. The 
trees newly planted are principally Horse Chesnuts, Planes, and 
Limes, as it is considered useless to try the Elm again. The mode of 
procedure is this: twelve months or so before it is intended to trans¬ 
plant, suitable trees are looked out and a trench is dug round the 
tree from two to three feet from the stem, according to the size of the 
top, the roots are all cut back to this distance and the trench is 
filled in again with light rich earth; new roots (spongelets) will soon be 
thrown out along the surface of the old roots, particularly near the ends 
cut off, and when these are sufficiently numerous, and have obtained 
a little hardness, the tree is ready for transplanting. The loose soil 
thrown into the trench is carefully removed, taking care not to injure 
the young roots, and the earth is worked away from underneath the 
ball so as to insert two levers to lift it up. The transplanting machine 
is now brought forward, the levers inserted in the noose of the ropes, 
and the whole hoisted out of the ground; the roots are next carefully 
packed in damp moss, and the whole wrapped up with a coarse kind of 
sacking and well secured together; this preserves the roots from the action 
of the air, and also keeps the soil from falling away from the ball during 
transit; the stem of the tree being made safe by stays and ropes, it 
may be taken for a considerable distance without injury. This 
operation is always done during the night, for two reasons: the heat 
and withering effect of bright sunshine are avoided, and the workmen 
can proceed with the planting without the interruption which would 
ensue from the curiosity of spectators if performed during the day. 
The planters do not pay much attention as to the time for operation, 
though I was given to understand they preferred either that the trees 
should not have bursted into leaf, or that the leaves should be fully 
