, 1873-03-10

and Streets.
pY II. ". CLEVELAND, LANDSCAPE GARDNER.
The season Of planting is near at hand,
and the work is ono Of such Importance in its
bearing upon the beauty and attractive interest
OF the Streets that it demands careful consider
ation and study to enable us to secure its best
effects in the reconstruction of the city. Its
relative value as means Of comforting char-
acter Of refined elegance and graceful dignity
upon city, which cannot be attained without
such aid by any degree Of architectural maGn1h-
cence, is admirably Expressed in tho following
oxtract from Robinson's charming book, 'sThe
Parks, Promenades, and Gardens OF Paris :"
"If not already the brightest, airiest, aud
most beautiful OF oil cities, Parls il i'll fasr
beauty is due to her gardens and her trees. A
city Of palaces, indeed !; but which is most at,
tractiye,-the view up that splendid avenue and
garden, stretching from the heart of the city to
the arc do Triomphe, or that OF the finest arcnl- ~
tectural features OF Paris What would tie
now boulevartls Of white stono DO without the
eoftening and refreshing aid OF those long lines
OF well-cared for trees tlat everywhere rise
around the buildings? The makers Of new
paris-who deserve the thanks Of the inhabi-
tants Of all the filthy cities in the world for set
ting such IN example-anawer these questions
for us, By relieving in every possible direction
mans work in stone with the changcful, and,
therefore, eyor-pleasing beauty OF vegetable
fined to parks in one end Of tho town. and abb
sent from the places where it iB most wanted.
It follows the street-builders with trees, turns
tho little squares into gardens unsurpassed Tor
fountains here aud there, and margins them
with tlowors it presents to tho eye Of the
poorest workman every charm OF vegetatlon
it brings him pure air, and aims directly and ef-
, fectiy,elyy at the recreation and benefit OF the
The Paris system Of strect-planting is one
which we need hardly hope to see adopted IN any
Of our cities, notwithstanding the obvious fact
that it is tho only one By which any elaborate
cured. Not only is the whole work Of designing
and planting under the care and supervision Of
educated landscape gardeners, but all the trees
s s e he e tse 80
desirable number Of trees Of whateger variety,
NAV bo had when wanted, Of equal size and SYM
metriosl form. 1t may be easily imagined that
By such means an effect of dignity and beauty
and and public places according 70 carefully
prapsred designs, which is utterly unattalna-
bio by the hnp-hazard method which We prac-
tiae, of every man planting what be pleases on
the front OF his own lot. The result, OF courso,
/ is a heterogeneous mixture. Ono man paTs
| largely for q few great trees brought from the
| forest, which often fnil to recover from tho
| shock Of removal, md even it they live, present
| q meagre, sickly appearance which can never
give pleasure to anyone. His next neighbor pro-
cures smaller trees from the nursery, and plants
| hnlf-a-dozen on q space which one or two would
sufice to fill, and the consequence is thoy very
soon crowd esch other to such degree as TO de-
| Another plants eyergreens inside his
renee. which. before they are hnlf
| grown, will be crowding their branches into his
| windows on one side and infringing upon the
| sidewalk on the other. Then there will be long
gaps, where no trees at all are planted. Yet,
eren with au these defects, which are lnsepara.
bio from such al utterly unsympathetIc way OF
| doing the work, the appearance OF verdure, IN
| looking up or down street, gives it a look OF
| reflned elegance, the want Of which cannot be
supplied by richness of architecture, and, as 1t
ie too mucl, to hope that free-born Americans
! will surrender the right of planting what they
| please on their own grounds, 1t ls I'll the more
important that q knowledge Of the general
| nrinci1,leg Of planting, to insure satisfactory
results, should be as widely disseminated as
possible.
trict OF Chicago destroyed, it is obvious that
the work of replnnting assumes an importance
| proportiouate to the extent Of the calamity
Many streets and portions Of streets which
before the fire were occupied solely as residence
quarters, will henceforth be given up to busl-
| trees. But, on the other hand, the residence
quarters are extending in corresponding ratio
| on streets and avenues which have heretofore
been vacant md every man who is building, OF
who OWNS DulQ1uE Blloy snOQll 0eGal III aa1aaea
| that there is no way in which he can 90 80 much
| to render it attractive. aud contribute to tho
| generally refined character of the ueighborhood,
at 30 small cost, as by the tasteful planting and
management Of the few feet Of ground within
| his control.
| Let us nov consider the field We have to work
| upon, and tho best means Of Development of tho
| resources at our command. Chicago has prob
| ably greater extent than any city in the Union
| of broad streets and avenues, the residences on
which are set back ten, fifteen twenty, or more,
| feot from the sidewalk. On some Of the avenues
| The sidewalks are 80 wide that q doublo row Of
trees is sometimes attempted, but never with
| good results after the trees begin to approach
maturitv, as the inside TOW must always be
cramned and shaded between the houses aud the
/ outer TOW Of trees, and can never become well
| developed specimens. Only single row should
| be set and those generally at much greater
| distance apart thnn they are usually plnntod. VI
this and Of the kinds OF trees oplant, propose
to speak hereafter The sidewalks OF our best
| streets and avenues nre fifteen or twenty
| In some cases twenty-five feet wide; 1hen
comes : an area OF perhaps equal width
| between the sidewalk and the residence; 1Ms
area might, in almost every instance, be made
to contribute quite as much to the bcauty eng
! o1arance OF tho strect as the buildings which
| iine it. and at the same time furnish the most
attractive setting and finish to the bulldlngs
Themselves, get this capacity is utterly and IN
variably destroyed by the needless habit OF IN
| ,x;}h rroo1oD irnn fence. Let