Tarred Roads and Vegetation.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 107, 12 November 1908, Page 4

Tarred Roads and Vegetation.

The Paris correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" stated in the issue of that paper for August 27th, that the Pfiiis gardeners find that the tarring of roads resulscs in a steady and rapicl destruction of the adjoining vegetation. It has been found chat, in thoroughfares where the road-surfaces' have been tar-sprayed, the trees die off in a very short time. As an instance, it is stated that in the avenue du Bois de Boulogne, leading from the arch to the wood, which was tarred four months ago, no fewer than seven of the finest trees have since died. It is stated that the vehicular traffic passing over these roads causes the tar to be thrown up in very fine particles, which, on coming into contact with vegetation, destroys it. Not merely are the trees affected, but bedding plants and lawns even are alike injured. According to the same authority, the cost of the upkeep of the flower-beds alone is ten times as expensive as when the roads were merely watered. The city authorities are, as a consequence of all this, said to be giving up th ! use of tar on the avenues within their boundaries. Tar-dressed and asphalted paths which are used only for pedestrian traffic have, apparently, no deleterious effects upon vegetation, otherwise it would long ago have been noticed in some of tfte numerous public gardens where such paths exist. Some two or three years ago much destruction was caused to the plants and flower-beds on the lawns about Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament through the repairing of the roads with wood. Although. in this case, the damage was attributed to creosote fumes, it was somewhat similar to that reported from Paris.