SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 247 



lover of trees and plants rather than a lover of books. In his arrangement and 

 development of the park he should teach the harmony of variety, the charm 

 and restfulness of green grass and and well grown trees. In our hours of 

 recreation we seek beauty. Our eyes hunger for it. The poorest are not lack- 

 ing in their love for it. The park should be the place where this love can be 

 gratified. Groups of shrubbery should be so arranged that one year or a half 

 dozen years' neglect will not spoil them. Many of our native shrubs as well 

 as some imported ones are more beautiful in their own natural form than with 

 any amount of pruning aud artificial training. The gardener should love his 

 trees and plants as his own children, allowing them their own way, correcting 

 only their faults and restraining their natural tendencies when they start in 

 the wrong direction. The collections for general effect should include groups 

 of conifers in suitable places, rank growing prairie grasses, areas of golden 

 rod, wild sun-flowers and asters for the late autumn, flags, water lilies and 

 canes in places at the water's edge, in fact all the wealth of variety that com- 

 prises our native flora 



Besides the developement of a beautiful landscape, with its restful parts 

 made np of perfect shrubs, trees and flowering plants, some parts of the park 

 may be used for the purpose of introducing the educational machinery of the 

 botanic garden. These should be in some out-of-the-way places if introduced at 

 all. The plants used for ornamental purposes should not have conspicuous 

 labels. If labeled at all it should be with narrow strips of zinc having the 

 name cut upon one side. In the botanic garden however, great care should 

 be exercised to have everything carefully and conspicuously and rightly labeled, 

 in order that the student or the botanist may readily learn the characteristics 

 of the different orders of plants or the names of rare or peculiar species. 

 These parts of the park may also be used as nurseries in which to keep speci- 

 mens of all plants used for ornamental purposes in other parts of the park. 

 This part of the work will depend largely upon the amount of funds at the 

 disposal of the superintendent. At our schools of horticulture, or in parks at 

 the National Capital however, the machinery of education may be, and 

 should be made conspicuous. All plants from whatever source should be 

 labeled and numbered as soon as obtained and the numbers carefully recorded. 

 Thus such grounds and parks may be made a means of disseminating valuable 

 information. They may be used as a source from which the lover of plants 

 and trees may draw information regarding new species or rare varieties, and as 

 a source to which the student of plants may go to add to his stock of 

 knowledge. 



Prof. Bailey, speaking of the importance of correct taste in building and 

 maintaining parks, said, too much diversity in ornamentation was usually 

 manifest — too much of masoury and art, and too little of nature. Small 

 parks should not be laid out too elaborately as to the drives and walks. In 

 them very little of curve and complex angle should be attempted. The natural 

 method — avoidance of geometrical figures, straight rows of trees, etc. — is 

 preferable in all cases. Nature makes all her paths and streams in crooks and 

 curves, and within reasonable limits we should do the same. 



The topic that closed the discussion on parks was given upon 



