Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1893-12-12
THE PARKS OF PARIS.
. FOREST OF TREES AND FLOWERS m
PROPULSION.

An lmmewse rcr~pective Cuequaled In
Any Other City In the CerlA-Ths
chanps Elyseea. the I.sveliess Thessash-
fare In faris-wosdcrfal Gardens.
There are not less than le6. 900 trees
IN line within the walls Of Paris, with
out including those which are found in
private gardens, SO vast and numerous
in certain aristocratic quarters, nor those
OF the public gardens. And note this
further fact that outside the public ways
there exists in this city. in the form Of
parks. gardens and public squares, a to-
tai service Of about 5000 acres.
Beside trees, there are plants and TOW.
e-s throughout the town. When 1t Is
time for Paris to take off her winter toi-
let and make her appearance in spring
attire. it takes nearly 100000 flower
plants. distributed by hundreds Of gar
Ieners and their assistants. The total
number Of plants often employed for the
toilet Of this town ct one time is about
a.V00.OOO. The nurseries which produce
them are situated in various parts Of the
city. In the Bois dc Boulogrc, near the
race course Of Longcha,np, are the nurs-
cry grounds of trees with caducous
leaves. At Aufeuil. on the road to the
village Of Boulognc. in a sandy soil. &c
cellent for their propagation. arc placed
n collection Of resinous trees. plants with
psrsistentleaves and heath mold plants.
On the banks Of the river Marine, ut q
village called Petit buy, the plane trees
that ARE planted along the boulevards
are cultivated, and finally. out at VIM
cCnnes. near the barrier and just beyond
the Notifications. large assignment Of
land is reserved fer ornamental plants.
The central establishment is near La
Muctte. ont at Passy. 1t i; one of the
most considerable horticultural lcbora-
tories in the world, and has 50 conserve
tories.
In some Of these Paris gardens there
are SO many diversi:ies Of plants that /
dare not attempt to enumerate theIa.
Without them, and the hundreds Of
thousands of others in Paris, many per-
sons would bend over their daily labo.
and pass their lives without having had
any other spectacle before their eyes
than that Of narrow streets or the SOM
Ire courtyard Of tenement house, work
shop and factory.
lwish my readers could see Paris be-
tween the Louvre palace and the west
crn end Of the Bots dc Eoulogne, n dis
lance Of about Eve miles, and full Of
trees.
They begin with two pretty little gar
den spots n a narrow open space be-
tween those wings Of the Louvre that
arc occupied on one side by the ministry
of finances. on the other by the National
gallery. Then comes short. bare space,
badly paved with great blocks Of stone
and called the Place du Caroussel. Be
yond its small arch Of triumph that Ma
poleon once topped with booty from the
Vatican begin the gardens of the Tuil-
cries.
Here there arc orange trees in i'm
Irense wooded tubs painted green, and
there is almost no grass ut all. At its
beginning is n part Of the Jardin DIES
Tuileries. which was only opened to the
public in 1850, and il covers the ground
where once stood the palace. Thence.
seen through trees. through marble stat
utes and statua-y Of many kinds. IN i'm
mense perspective slowly rises and glori-
ously terminates with the Arc de Tri-
onphe. The details are ravishing, the
ensemble is Of unequaled grace and
grandeur; no other city on earth can
show its like. West of the Tuilcries gar
dens is the grand open space known as
the Place de In Concor,le. and after that
comes the Champs Elysees. an elysian
field where wide belts Of varied shrubs
are encircled with choicest flowers,
where the grass spreads widely ont here
and there, and where great clumps of
rho,lodendrons and lofty trees shroud
buildings that are occupied as cafe coz
certs. restaurants. dioramas, a circus
and the Palais de rIndust-ie.
The Champs Elysees was thus laid ont
in 1850. hut the work were SO well done
that it looks ~ if they were always thus
established. This garden park of street
and public garden finishes at the Rcnd
point, circular open space. where sew
eral streets cross, and where there are
fountains. beds of flowers and rich man.
sions. From tho Rond point to the Place
dc rEtoile, or triumphal murch, where
all Is breadth, dignity and airiness. the
avenue Of the Ci,anps Elysees is built
mp with private residences, though here
and there n grocery, u carriage store
room or drugshop have crept in to mar
the aristocratic bearing Of the loveliest
thorOughfare in Paris. On either side Of
the roadway stretches u row Of trees,
and these. turning around the arch Of
triumph, continue their way down the
Avenue du EOis de Boulogne. which
leads to the park Of that NAME.
1t is a thOroughfare that grandly
shows to what beauty avenue gardening
can he brought. 1t was made entirely
through private land, half the expenses
being borne by the state on condition
that IN iron railing Of uniform design
was to be constructed along the whole
length Of the road; that strip of about
90 feet in breadth be left for the gardens
4 ~ Al