ARBORICULTURE 



373 



Pensacola Park Improvements. 



On Wednesday, Sept. 1 2th, there 

 vs^as a very important meeting of repre- 

 sentative citizens of Pensacola, Florida, 

 at the Chamber of Commerce to con- 

 sider the subject of park improvements 

 for the city. 



The Mayor, and part of the City 

 Council, many professional men, bank- 

 ers, merchants and those representing a 

 great majority of the wealth of the city 

 w^ere present and were united in a de- 

 termination to beautify the city. 



The Editor of Arboriculture had 

 come to Florida by invitation of the 

 citizens and addressed the meeting, 

 several leading citizens also expressed 

 their approval and were emphatic in 

 their demands for extensive, permanent 

 improvement. 



The city of Pensacola covers a 

 large area of territory and is well 

 planned, several blocks having been 

 reserved for parks, some of which now 

 have large fine oak trees as a nucleus 

 for future planting of shade trees. 



Bay View 'Park, 35 acres extent, 

 lies on a beautiful sheet of water just 

 east of the city. It is now^ covered w^ith 

 a dense growth of dwarf oak. Black 

 Jack, with a few short leaved yellow 

 pine. It can easily be converted into a 

 handsome, shady w^ood, where families 

 can picnic and fish in safe water as a 

 diversion. 



The Plaza in front of the new City 

 Hall is the only park w^hich has been 

 improved and thisw^ith its stately palms, 

 Live Oaks and well kept grass plot 

 makes a good beginning for a grand 

 system of Parks. 



In company with Mayor Goodman, 

 and two of the bankers, we were driven 

 about the city and surrounding country, 

 spending an hour in one of the most 



beautiful natural groves of Live Oak 

 trees w^hich w^e have ever seen. These 

 trees 300 or 400 years old are grand, 

 picturesque and w^onderfully interest- 

 ing. 



J. P. BROWN'S ADDRESS. 



The salient features of the address 

 w^ere: 



The most useful Park is w^here the 

 entire city with its shady trees, becomes 

 one great parkway, and all citizens may 

 enjoy it continually. 



With a tropic sun and prolonged 

 summer season, especially writh sandy 

 soils, the South needs shaded streets far 

 more than northern cities, yet possesses 

 less shade than her sister cities, else- 

 v/here. 



Well shaded streets are of greater 

 importance than a few highly embel- 

 lished beauty spots. 



A home may be built in a season 

 and the ornamentation of a park may 

 be consummated in a year, but it requires 

 a score of years to secure a perfect 

 shade after planting the trees. 



Invariably street trees are too 

 closely planted, spreading trees cannot 

 develope properly unless given ample 

 room. A wilderness is not desired, but 

 abundant shade with a bit of sunshine 

 occasionally penetrating the foliage. 



Forty to fifty feet apart is close 

 enough for spreading shade trees and 

 thirty feet for tall growing species. 



While 'Waiting for standard trees to 

 form a shade, some quick growing tem- 

 porary trees are permissable midw^ay 

 betw^een, but these must be promptly 

 removed before injuring the permanent 

 trees. 



Standard trees should be planted 

 in all the parks and along all streets as 



