182 Missouri State Horticultural Society. 



should have its drives or boulevards in connection with public 

 parks, landscape gardens, cemeteries, &c. 



It will be remembered that in my annual address to this 

 society in 1881 at Columbia, we suggested artistic ornamentation 

 of the campus around the University as a suitable place for an 

 example of this art. 



Since writing the foregoing, our secretary handed me a book 

 on the subject of landscape gardening which I consider of great 

 importance in more ways than one. It exemplifies and treats in a 

 scholarly and scientific way of the subject hinted at in this paper. 

 It supplies the place of a long needed work on this subject. It 

 should be in every family and school. Mr. Downing's work on 

 landscape gardening, costing six dollars and fifty cents, is too costly 

 for the million ; but this work of one hundred and forty pages 

 comes within the reach of all. It contains much in small space. 

 This work is by that eminent scholar and practical landscape 

 gardener. Prof. M. G. Kern, a cotemporary and co-worker with 

 several of the most gifted men of the age in this art, in connection 

 with " The creation of the principal ornamental grounds of our 

 country." His field of operation has been in the west, and the 

 leading public parks in the metropolis of our state owe their artistic 

 development mainly to his intelligent labors. We are pleased to 

 learn that Mr. Kern has undertaken to lay off and ornament the 

 grounds of the State University and know from what we have seen 

 of his skill in the art that when finished it will be an example of 

 which every citizen in the state may be proud. The vast improve- 

 ments and increased wealth, with the growing interest in 

 horticulture throughout the state, must call into requisition the 

 best talent to suggest practical methods of improving and beauti- 

 fying our homes. The reason the outward adorning falls behind 

 the architectural, is that the architect is employed to build the 

 house, but we seldom think it necessary to employ, or even consult 

 the landscape gardener. 



