JUNE 14, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



75 



Benjamin Dorrance, President American Rose Society. 



of ladles and gentlemen, and in matter 

 of art are "way up," but what could be 

 done with benefit would be same 

 school for park commissioners, some 

 practical schooling for them without 

 any fear of bringing in trade matters. 

 Everybody wants to be a park com- 

 missioner nowadays and there is not 

 one in a dozen that could give an in- 

 telligent opinion on the work being 

 done. The park superintendent, if ca- 

 pable, knows best about the work and 

 the commissioners have little need to 

 interfere, but to the disgrace of the 

 people of our large cities our parks 

 are now in politics and commissioners 

 are appointed with a political ol)ject. 

 It is not our city I am alluding to par- 

 ticularly, but all I hear of are alike. 

 Woe betide the day when our parks 

 become political machines. 



The success of our park system for 

 twenty-five years, its building, its eco- 

 nomical and able maintenance, was 

 solely because the fifteen reputable 

 and public-spirited citizens who com- 

 posed the park board were in matters 

 of management, labor, etc., mere fig- 

 ureheads and never interfered. If 

 new territory is to be acquired, or per- 

 haps a steam roller purchased, or a 

 concession to be leased, the commis- 

 sioners may have an intelligent opin- 



ion, but when it comes that the super- 

 intendent has to appoint Patsy O'Fla- 

 herty as a caretaker of a portion of 

 the park because he is the father-in- 

 law of Alderman McQuinn, who has a 

 pull with Commissioner Skinnum, 

 then good-bye to discipline and effi- 

 ciency in our parks, the pride of our 

 cities. If the commissioners and not 

 the superintendent is to guide the 

 work of the parks, then educate them 

 in park work. 



We listened for fifteen minutes to a 

 most eloquent man. a minister of some 

 most liberal gospel, which all really 

 intelligent men must be. His plea was, 

 give us parks, plenty of them; don't 

 stint them in extent, in building and 

 maintenance. Their moral effect on 

 the community is worth far more than 

 their cost. One quotation was: "A 

 stroll in the beautiful parks makes 

 better men and women. They are not 

 all angels that frequent parks and we 

 do not make all church members an- 

 gels." He was so eloquent, spoke 

 such beautiful truths and was so earn- 

 est with his subject that for a few mo- 

 ments you fancied yourself walking in 

 some park-like paradise between Bob 

 Ingersoll and Robert Burns. Both will 

 be there. W. S. 



Pan-American News. 



Although the absence of rain has_ 

 been most unfavorable for the thou^ 

 sands of trees and shrubs planted this 

 spring, many of them late, there are 

 very few failures and the appearance 

 of the plantations is most flourishing. 

 Many more exhibits were sent in than 

 were expected this spring, but in the 

 case of hardy roses it was either plant 

 them now or not at all. 



The Music Garden is in the center of 

 a broad elevation and scattered over 

 this area are many large beds of hy- 

 brid perpetual, rugosa, Wichuraiana 

 and Crimson Rambler roses. One large 

 bed is filled with standard and dwarf 

 Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora. 

 All of these exhibits were sent in sev- 

 eral weeks later than the proper time 

 to transplant, but with careful plant- 

 ing and hard pruning they are mak- 

 ing a fine growth. Upwards of 6,000 

 roses are among the exhibits. The 

 principal contributors are Ellwanger 

 & Barry, Rochester; F. R. Pierson Co., 

 Tarrytown, N. Y.; Nelson Bogue, Ba- 

 tavia, N. Y.; J. C. Vaughan, Chicago; 

 .Jackson & Perkins, Newark, N. Y. 



The excavation of the lakes is com- 

 plete and grading is now the chief 

 work on the grounds. The sloping 

 banks of the canals are finely graded 

 and seeding is being done. With ac- 

 cess to the hose in every part of the 

 grounds, these banks will soon have a 

 most refreshing appearance. 



Mr. Ulrich has obtained several hun- 

 dred fine red cedars, 20 to 25 feet high 

 and of the most symmetrical shape. 

 They are boxed and shaded from the 

 sun and if successfully carried through 

 the summer will have a delightful ap- 

 pearance when located in that part of 

 the grounds know as the "Court of 

 Cypresses," which is two basins each 

 200 feet in diameter and will be filled 

 with aquatics. One of these basins 

 will be heated to facilitate the growth 

 of the Victoria Regia. 



The grounds around the Service 

 Building have a finished appearance. 

 Large flower beds are blooming and 

 the thousands of visitors who already 

 view the grounds seem surprised at 

 the progress made. The Transporta- 

 tion and Liberal Arts Buildings are 

 going up rapidly and progress is being 

 made on all the buildings. 



I was much pleased to hear last 

 week from Mr. Alexander Forbes of 

 New York, that he considered we were 

 most favorably ahead with all the 

 work, compared to past expositions at 

 a corresponding date. 



WM. SCOTT. 



PITTSBURG. 



With shame we report that yester- 

 day the machine that rules our city 

 affairs deposed, at a meeting of both 

 councils, E. M. Bigelow, who has been 

 for nineteen years director of public 

 works. Mr. Bigelow has done for Pitts- 

 burg what no other man could have 

 (lone. He gave us our beautiful parks 



