January 28 , 1888 . 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
345 
TREES FOR SMOKY DISTRICTS. 
At the meeting of the Manchester Horticultural 
Improvement Society, held on the 19th inst., Mr. 
Bruce Findlay in the chair,Mr. Leo H. Grindon delivered 
an address on trees adapted for Manchester, founded 
on observations made in the district, in Leeds, Sheffield, 
Halifax, Huddersfield, "Wigan, Bolton, Bury, and 
other large manufacturing towns, in the course of 
which he remarked that for twenty-five years or more 
he had a garden in Rumford Street, Chorlton-upon- 
Medlock, about a mile and a half from the Manchester 
Exchange, and what he accomplished in that garden 
they would hear presently. 
It had been too much the practice in Manchester to 
follow an ancient routine in tree planting, certain trees 
having been solected as if there were no other sorts in 
creation. Only about two months ago an Elder in his 
garden was blown down, and on applying to a nursery¬ 
man for another tree to replace it, he replied, “ Oh, 
you must have Poplar,” and the only reason the man 
could give for that was, that he had only Poplars to 
sell. They could wonderfully im¬ 
prove the appearance of their gar¬ 
dens if they would just remember 
that there are plenty of other trees 
suitable for them besides Poplars 
and Elders. Here he would just like 
to refer to the efforts of the Noxious 
Vapours Association to bring about 
an improvement in the atmosphere 
of Manchester so that trees may 
flourish there. Their main object 
of course is to make the city more 
healthy for human beings, but they 
could not do that without garden- 
loving folk benefiting from it, 
because wherever human beings do 
best, plants do best. The purifi¬ 
cation of the atmosphere was, how¬ 
ever, by no means the only thing 
that required attention in this 
matter, for the nature of the soil, 
the influence of drainage and noxious 
gases must be taken into account. 
He was not going to include 
"Whalley Range and Alexandra Park 
in speaking of Manchester, but 
should confine his remarks to those 
districts which are more or less 
affected by smoke. We can never 
expect to have in Manchester such 
noble and illustrious trees as they 
have in London and Bath. Nor can 
we expect to see Planes here, such 
as those which ornament the great 
squares in London, nor the Elms 
which do the same for Bristol, 
Noxious Vapours Association not¬ 
withstanding, for the simple reason 
that the climate of this district is 
unfavourable to their growth. If, 
then, we cannot have the majestic 
Oaks, Elms, and Planes, we must see 
whether there are not fifty other 
trees which, though of smaller di¬ 
mensions and less ambitious, will 
by a little judicious mingling afford 
us as much delight as the grand old Oaks and Chestnuts. 
The plants to be considered fall under three heads. 
(1) Those which have already grown in Manchester, 
and are now doing well. (2) Those that refuse to grow 
altogether, which he need not dwell upon. (3) Those 
which are worthy of a trial, and it was to these he 
desired to direct their particular attention. The Balsam 
Poplar, Black Poplar, and the Hawthorn are amongst 
those which will grow here. He wished they could 
have seen the Hawthorn which he had in his Rumford 
Street garden three years ago, loaded with its summer 
snow, and such a delightful spectacle that many persons 
stopped to admire it. "Willows also, when they have a 
fair chance, do well. The common green Willow has 
had a wonderful growth in his little garden at Cecil 
Street, Greenheys, during the last four years. The 
common Sallow may also be included in the list of 
those which do well. He now came to trees which are 
waiting to be made more use of than they have been 
hitherto. Amongst these are the Fig Tree, the Mul¬ 
berry, and the scarlet-berried Elder. Of the last- 
named he could say that he never saw a finer specimen 
than one that was growing almost in the midst of the 
Wigan smoke three or four years ago. He had seen 
this tree cultivated in nurseries, but why not introduce 
it within two miles of the Exchange ? The common 
Siberian Crab is also very well adapted for town culture- 
The Aralia spinosa, commonly called the Angelica 
Tree, blooms abundantly in the Botanical Gardens at 
Old Trafford, and he had seen it doing wonderfully 
well amongst the smoke of Bristol. Then there is a 
plant known as “the Tree of Heaven,” which is exceed¬ 
ingly well adapted for towns, being proof against both 
smoke and insects. We must be thankful if we can 
get fine foliage in towns ; never mind the flowers, and 
if we cannot have what we would like, try to make the 
best of what we can have. 
The Mountain Ash, White Beam, and Horse Chest¬ 
nut were amongst other things he could recommend for 
Manchester. Some thirty or forty years ago there was 
a noble-looking Horse Chestnut growing at the foot of 
New Bridge Street, whose branches spread almost into 
the middle of the roadway, and was every year laden 
with flowers ; but it had to give way to street improve¬ 
ments. If it would flourish there he should think it 
would grow at a similar distance from town. The 
The Bermuda Lily : Lilium Harrisii. 
Tulip Tree is another capital town subject, and there 
was one which did remarkably well in a garden at 
Arlington Place, Oxford Road, until its roots were 
damaged by the men employed on some drainage works 
there. The Nyssu, or Tupelo, has also proved itself 
able to stand the injurious influences of a town atmo¬ 
sphere. The Almond will also flourish and produce a 
load of bright pink flowers in early spring. Of the 
Lentisk-leaved Ash Mr. Stansfield has a good specimen 
in his garden on the edge of Kersal Moor, where it no 
doubt gets the full flavour of the Salford smoke. Of 
the sweet Bay-leaved Willow, which grows wild about 
Marple in abundance, there are two beautiful examples 
in Plymouth Grove. Turning now to shrubs, he said 
the yellow Azalea may be seen at many points along 
Stretford Road, and close to the church of the Holy 
Name, Oxford Road, there is a grand specimen of the 
American Bramble, which is covered with bright red 
flowers every year. There is also one in Mr. George 
Milner’s garden, close to Harpurhey, which seems to 
hold its own like a sturdy Briton who was determined 
not to be driven from his position. In his own garden, 
in Rumford Street, a Rhododendron flourished wonder¬ 
fully, and in his present one, in Cecil Street, there is a 
spotted Laurel growing and thriving. Every autumn 
a house in Burlington Street, Greenheys, is made 
beautiful by a white Jessamine which is growing there. 
If we want glorious foliage, the Grape Vine is an 
admirable plant for the purpose, and he was surprised 
that it is so much neglected as a decorative plant for 
gentlemen’s gardens. He next referred to Pyrus Japonica 
and the Sunflower, of which latter a splendid specimen 
is to be seen every season in Grosvenor Street, London 
Road ; common Gourds and Pumpkins, which he had 
successfully cultivated in his Rumford Street garden, 
and other varieties. 
In the discussion which followed, Mr. Stansfield said 
he could not recommend the Mountain Ash, the 
“Service Tree,” Horse Chestnut, or Lime, for towns. 
The honorary secretary (Mr. Upjohn) said he thought 
the Lime could be made to succeed under certain 
conditions. The Horse Chestnut does well at Worsley, 
which is about six miles from Manchester, and he 
should think it would grow nearer the city. The 
president said he was surprised that the Sycamore had 
not been mentioned. Mr. Grindon said he had it down 
in his list, but he had skipped it, 
along with others. A member stated 
that he had a Fig tree doing remark¬ 
ably well in Higher Broughton, 
where it gets all the smoke and 
noxious vapours from the adjoining 
works. Amongst others he could 
recommend are the scarlet Oak, the 
Pedlar or "Wandering Jew, and the 
common Broom. Another member, 
who said he lived about two and 
half miles from the city on the north 
side, said he had six Mountain Ash 
trees in his garden, which do well, 
and he thought the Beech admirably 
adapted to withstand the smoke. 
On the motion of Mr. R. Tait, a 
hearty vote of thanks was accorded 
to Mr. Grindon for his lecture, 
which was highly appreciated. 
- ~>X<~ -- 
DRACiENAS. 
These are a class of plants admir¬ 
ably adapted for decorative pur¬ 
poses, and when well grown make 
grand exhibition plants. They are 
increased by cuttings and eyes, the 
latter mode being the best for pro¬ 
ducing small plants suitable for the 
decoration of the dinner table, a 
purpose for which they are very 
generally cultivated, as their elegant 
habit and brilliantly coloured leaves 
entitle them to be. 
Any old plants that have lost their 
lower leaves should now be taken in 
hand ; cut off the head, and divide 
the stem into pieces about 1 in. long, 
which may be split, securing an eye 
to'each piece ; fill a well-drained pot, 
or what is perhaps better a pan, with 
light peaty soil, on which place the 
eyes and cover them with sharp 
sand, water them, and place them on 
a good bottom heat, cover them 
with a square of glass, keeping them moist but not too 
wet ; in a good heat the young growths will soon push 
through. "When large enough pot off singly into small 
pots, using soil composed of light turfy loam, peat and 
sand, in about equal proportions ; return the plants to 
where they will have the advantage of bottom-heat if 
possible, and a temperature of /0 with a rise of 10° by 
sun heat, but do not let the heat fall below 65° at night. 
Should the sunshine be strong, a slight shading will 
be necessary until they have rooted into the new soil 
after potting, though, when well established, sunshine 
—greatly assisted by the plants being near the glass — 
is necessary to bring out high colour and maintain a 
dwarf stocky habit. Shift into larger pots as required, 
never allowing them to become pot-bound, or they will 
lose their lower leaves—as the beauty of a specimen 
Dracaena lies in its being furnished with good healthy 
foliage down to the top of the pot—such a state of 
things should be avoided. They require careful 
watering, as stagnant soil causes the roots to decay, and 
consequent loss of foliage. 
When old plants are cut up for eyes, their tops 
may be inserted singly in 60’s, using fine sandy soil, 
■ placed in bottom-heat and kept close. Another mode 
is to insert them in bottles filled with rain-water, and a 
