New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-20
and broad sense Of Justice hardly to Be hoped
for In a Romanof
sTRFFT TREES.


feeble that it requires some tath 70 DcnnYo
that the earth viii ever grow green aeain. Da.
in spite of threatening sun spots ana olalnoss
coniunctions Of the planets, the annual nniraCle
win probably be repeated here, as usual IN .ne
course of few weeks. There is hardly anosnei
civilized city in the world, however, where .ne
visible signs of Natures revival VIII % %
scantv and scattered. In London or PARIS
few minutes walk in any direction VIII Dflng
one face To face with neatly planted nttie
q snuaren or @terracen OF 1circle" or open
snace about some public building. Blocks o.
bonses in the densely built districts OF THESE
cities have been bought and torn down 10 Inhke
oman breathing spaces-little GASES IN tne
deaert of brick and stone-aplaces which lnViSe
,e.t and recreation and relieve the eye py CIV
inc elimuses of the color 1t longs for, ana pro
mote the public health by Offering even 70 tne
jewellers in noisome tenemenis an opportunity
TO battle their lungs with air freshly screened
through masses of foliage. But In New YORK
instead of making provision for more OF these
Green openings, we build railroads through the
BATTERY, cover up st. Johns Park with o helght
denot. fill the old Hospital grounds with whole
sale stores. take pains to put the Court House.
Hall Park. and can hardly protect from mVS-
sion Central Park itself, although tnis las'
serves purpose quite distinct from that Oh tne
more modest plots just spoken OF. And no pro
vision has been made, or is hkely 20 DO inaue'
for other open spaces to take the place OK tnose
which have been suhocated with DrlcK ana
mortar. If in the more recently LAID out por-
tons Of the city, which are mainly 10 Do oCeu-
MED by dwelling houses instead OF SHOPS anu
business structures, an occasional square hau
baen left. or even strip now and then through
the centre of the long blocks, or If the four
corners of a street crossing had been preserved
here and there, the increased value OF adjoining
lots would have paid for the apparent extrava-
cance, while the gain in other respects woulu
! have been inestimable.. This much could nave
been accomplished eveD by officials who coula
| comprehend no more rational plan OF laying OUT
a city than the endless repetition OF rectangular
blocks.
AS matters stand, rows Of thrifty street trees
can alone be depended upon to furnish some
practical relief in this expanding wilderness OIL
stone. The few trees remaining In the older
portions OF the town are rapidly disappearing,
beipv crowded Out or killed by escaping gas at
their roots, or chopped off to make room tor
telecraph wires. During a few years past,
thousands of trees have been planted by the
CITY government in the upper portion or the
island, put little can be hoped for from thlS
well-meant effort at Improvement. To save
expense loads of scarlet-maples have been
carted from swamps to be set in the dry, NOT
earth along the curb stones, and tree when
with the closest care can hardly be nursed INTO
thrifty growth win OF course droop under such
violent treatment In the same spirit Of
economy, elms in enormous quantities nave
been taken from the woods, and their tops
| saved off so as to destroy their shapeliness IN
many cases, too, these trees have been planted
in narrow streets and SD close together that
they have no room to expand into their full
proportions. The whole enterprise is painful
example of honest management which Will fan
for lack of intelligent direction.
II ia true that few trees viii flourish in the
smoke aud dust and stone-olad soil of the city
! Only small towns can furnish themselves Will
avenues of tulip trees, and we must leave th'
payement and 20 to tho lake shore in Contra
Park 10 see how perfectly the fern-like foliage
OF the Southern cypress will develop on Man
haitian Island. But enough trees remain t
select from. In broad avenues nothing can b
more effective than rows of American or Scotch
elms while IL naples are desired the Norway
J would be named first, after this the sycamore
maple, and then perhaps the silver maple. II
} narrower streets the balsam poplar, and, /
carefully pruned, the Oriental plane Tree, coul'
, be used. An agreeable change could DO mad
in streets not given over TO traffic by planting
} row of broadly spreading trees in the centre o
, the roadway, in ribbon Of grass six or eigh
feet wide. But even after wGll-grOwD speci
, mems of desirable varieties carefully planted
/ constant and intelligent maintenance Is essen
t tial to insure permanent success. 1t must b
the business of some one to protect, preserve
7 and prune, and under the present system OF ap
a pointing city officials the chances are that me
having the requisite amount OF knowledge an
t experience would rarely be selected Tor TIL
r service. This persistent supervision by expert
y in tree culture would be of value in many way
{ which do not at first suggest themselves. ON
o ,ne need be mentioned here. Except for
Q single defect and that a capital one, the ala.
tus would prove the most serviceable street ire
8 for general use The tropical luxurance OF Il
Is folinpe the rich color of its branches its fIet
= dom from insect pests, its thrifty growth Will
n its roots are covered by payements. present
Is combination of advantages promised by no oth'
!. tree. But then the exhalatiOns from its howe
y ore offensive and to many persons absolutel
o INJURIOUS, so that its usefulness is destroye
IS Now, if in the early spring the tips OF IL
y branches bearing the flower buds were cippe
1t off. this disagreeable quality would be elm
Y mated and the sole loss sustained would be Il
70 destruction of the ornamental fruit clusters,
Or loss which would be partially compensated
10 ncreas ed growth and richness of foliage.
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% THE MEANING OF LENT
Nothing vulgarizes or grows coarse 90 to