The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-16

they like their roominess and comfort,
which 1t does not take an artistic mind
to appreciate.
THE TREES or LONDON.
Oases That Flourish In the Midst Of the
busy city.
LONDON, Aug. mot for many years
has the foliage Of London trees been as
beautiful as this summer. Weeks Of sun
shine have brought 1t to q luxurianoe and
richness Of color it seldom attains.
No matter how hot and dry the summer
days may be here. Londoners have one great
advantage over jewellers in most other
cities. They can always find. sven in the
very heart Of their metropolis. cool. shady
spots like bits Of the country. with mag
niioent trees. tiny strips Of grass and per-
haps a sun dial. q fountain or an old oaken
bench. These are GASES which have been
preserved by some happy chance.
Very few persons realize how many trees
there are In the square mile that goes to
make up that part Of London known as the
City. Here in this most populous. busy part
Of town there are some 1900 well estab-
lshed trees.
Among the 1900. however. there is not
q single specimen Of the English national
tree, the oak. Though there Is a Beech
street there are no beeches.
But there Is plenty Of variety in those
trees that do grow and thrive in the heart
Of the City. There are twenty-six elms.
eight ash trees, eight syoamores. eleven
elder trees. four rowans, nine figs. six wyoh
elms. seven mulberry trees. two birches.
three weeping ashes, three willows, three
service trees and one solitary pear tree.
| which grows In the Master Of the Temples
garden.
The most frequently seen tree in the City
IL the plane. 1t 10 TO London what the
| maple is to many American cities. It
seems to enjoy the dirt and smoke Of central
London. for it fiourishes and grows In the
face Of difficulties that would daunt most
Of the trees.
Il was Leigh Hunt who Roasted that in
London one could never be out Of sight Of
q tree. and thanks to the hardy plane wen
nowadays this is very nearly true. There
are In the City alone $40 plane trees and 1t
would be difficult to estimate the number In
all London together.
Next to the plane in popularity comes
the fragrant lime. Of which there are 220
specimens. and then 2i5 poplars. Of which
only eight are the tall Lombardy poplars
landscape painters love, The thorns. haw-
thorn and bhckthorn, number sixty-one
and aburnums are only forty.
Many Of the City's trees are famous in
| verse and song. There Is the plane tree
at the corner Of Cheapside and Wood street
which owes it's immortality to Wordsworth.
Now II Is no longer an inspiring sight, as it
has been cut and Topped until 1t is little
more than a mere bunch. Then there
were the two famous lines that grew in
Crosby Square. They have gone with tie
| palace itself.
Some very beautiful plane trees are
those along the north side Of st. Paul's
| Churchyard. They are seventy feet in
height and command the gaze Of every one
passing the cathedral on that side.
though it has not been immortalized by
any poet. is packed away behind the houses
In ~Stationers' Hall court. 1t fills the dingy
court, with Its presence and roofs 1t over
with leaves
1t gets almost no sunshine and has a
daily shower OF SCOT from nearby chtmneys,
yet for ages it has grown and fourished to
the admiration and gratitude OF all who
work or live in that dreary neighborhood:
Presumably once 1t was in a beautiful
garden which has now become the crowded
Thu lime tree in the garden Of the Bank
OF England is undoubtedly the chief Of all
the City trees. 1t is a magnificent specimen
and dominates the little garden plot, It
Ia older even than the bank itself and at
n time, no doubt, it was. growing in the
churohyard Of st. Christopher's, the
vanished church Of one of the three old
parishes on which the bank is built. 1t is as
healthy as any tree within miles OF London
exquisite perfume. This year q pair OF
wood pigeons nested in Its branches.
The Temple Gardens and .Finsbury
Circus are the chief paradises OF trees In
the City. Fountain court, in the Temple,
has a venerable elm and plenty Of plane and
mulberry trees. Finsbury Circus has four
teen plane trees, twenty-five mulberries,
twenty lines. two fine weeping ashes and
an elm.
The old City ohurchyards are also re-
positories Of London's gteenery. One
can turn of from the rush and noise Of a
busy street and sit In the shade Of ancient
trees in a quiet ancient c%hurohyard and
forget the modern world Is In existence. so
far AWAY seems all hustle and hurry.
Tho lime and plane avenue Of Christ
Church 10 worth seeing and the music Of
the birds at Cripplegate makes one sure
one Is In the depths OF the. country. The
trees at Cripplegate have always been the
to sit and listen to them when he was q
parishioner at the church. and though many
Of the trees are not the same he walked
among, yet the birds OF Cripplegate are
still famous In the annals OF City history.
At st. Botolph's. A~ldersgate. there is
a poplar with q twisted, wrinkled, knotted
black trunk with n seat around II that looks
as II 1t had once been the centre Of a village
green.
Another peaceful little Old World corner
is Just of F~enohuroh street and can only
be approached on either hand by a covered
lane called Star alley, where once stood
the church Of Allhallows Staining. Now
only the tower OF the church remains en-
powered In the trees among which Ia a fine
hardy fig tree covering with Its green leaves
the desolate old tower.
Londoners love these quaint old spots
In their rapidly changing city. and there
L. always much lamentation and many
petitions when It Is learned that one OF the
oases Ii to be swept away by relentless
progress and model buildings or ugly ware
houses or tremendous offices are to rise in
its place. But lamentations and petitions
are Ruthless. and the day 10 not far distant
when all these charming places VIII have
disappeared