lO THE PLANT WORLD. 



tliat the foresight of one individual wih permit tlie people to enjoy 

 forever a little of nature's former abundant wilds. 



A mueh grander park, closer to a large and growing city and 

 containing magnificent forest growths, is Stanley Park at \"an- 

 couver, B. C. Huge forest trees are abundant here ; ferns are 

 everywhere, but the wilderness is marred somewhat by attempts 

 at horticulture, the bane of almost every efifort to set aside a piece 

 of natural wildness. Pathways cross each other in many direc- 

 tions and there are good driveways, with little effort at improve- 

 ment. It is essential perhaps that at the principal entrance of a 

 natural park there should be erected suitable buildings for pur- 

 poses of supervision, luit it does seem unnecessary to erect green- 

 houses and to maintain flower beds. Some member of a park 

 board at some time or other will persist in iiiipnrz'iiii:;, first the 

 driveways, then other areas, until finally little is left of the 

 Natural Park, a montrosity of landscape gardening costing thou- 

 sands of dollars, replacing a bit of nature that in all probability 

 the ingenuity of man cannot restore. It is well, perhaps, that 

 provision should be made for children's swings and for baseball, 

 but the natural wildness should be preserved untouched. 



In the city of Halifax, N. S., are two parks. In one an old 

 Scotch gardener has produced a bit of landscape gardening un- 

 ec[ualed in my experience ; culture is evident everywhere, every 

 bit of area being maintained in perfection for definite purposes. 

 The whole is superb. On the outskirts of the city another but 

 larger park has been established, a natural park. It has a fine 

 entrance with splendid Inuldings and a boun(lar\- wall, but noth- 

 ing more except well-kei)t drives and paths with the smallest 

 possible amount of culture. However, little of the park seems 

 to be of the original forest ; yet nature will find her own way if 

 only man will fix the boundaries and protect the effort. 



What has been done in these instances can be done in others. 

 There is no reason why everv community should not set aside a 

 small or large tract of wild, perhaps rocky, ground within or near 

 its limits. A few congenial spirits nught be associated in almost 

 any community to carry out such a plan and to cooperate with 

 some landowner who has more than he knows what to do with. 



