STREET PLANTING AT DEVONPORT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 137, 9 June 1905, Page 2

STREET PLANTING AT DEVONPORT.

(To the Editor.) Rir, —Many of the cities of Europe are justly celebrated for the beautiful avenues of trees planted, in some cases, in the very heart of the city, notably Berlin, where we have one of the finest . streets in Europe (Untcr Der Linden), with its double row of trees down the centre of the street. A small attempt has also been made in Auckland, notably Grey-street, with iLs rows of plane trees. Some four or five years ago. un--1 dec the Mayoralty of Mr J. ('. Mucky, a miserable attempt was made to beautify some of the streets of Devonport. Why a miserable attempt, you ask? Well, to begin, the majority of the trees selected 5 were utterly unsuitable for the purpose, J and if they had grown would have been " no ornament to the streets in which r they were planted. Shrubs only fitted - for a Japanese dwarf plantation, tos gether with an assortment of bamboo, . pampas grass, and such-like, were plant- - cd. and protected with wooden cribs, 1 and then Nature was left to do the rest. But Nature refused to respond; a - large, number of the trees died, some of the remainder are struggling between life and death, nothing has been done to replace the dead ones, or cultivate those living into a more flourishing con- ; dition. many of the cribs have been - broker, up and, 1 suppose, burnt, the '" remainder arc scattered about the . streets, an eyesore to all who are com- ' polled by duty or pleasure to pass the : unsightly wrecks which strew the ". streets. It would be better to remove 1 the remaining trees than leave them ' to disfigure the streets, which they un- , doubtedly do. —I am. etc.. . MOUNTAIN ASH.