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building ; this trouble cannot wholly be eliminated until the 

 road-banks are sodded and the drainage properly disposed of, 

 by connecting the system of land drains with the main city 

 sewer in Webster Avenue, a work which is now in progress. 



4. Propagating Houses. These small greenhouses were 

 accepted by the Commissioner of Parks, from Hitchings & 

 Co., the contractors, in January, and were at once turned 

 over to us for operation. They have proved to be well built, 

 easily heated and satisfactory for their purposes. The roof 

 of the potting shed developed some leaks which have been 

 repaired. Not having water under pressure at their location 

 when they were finished a large brick tank was built between 

 the two long houses as a roof-water reservoir, and this had to 

 be depended upon until the water-pipe was laid to these 

 houses during the spring. The plan for the propagating 

 houses contemplates the building of a third long house in the 

 future, but the need for it is not yet urgent. 



5. Stable. No work has been done on this building except 

 painting, reflooring stalls, and minor repairs. 



6. Public Comfort Station. This building was connected 

 with the sewer and the water-supply was brought to it during 

 the summer, but, as other more important work prevented the 

 building of paths to it, it has not been opened to the public, 

 though useful for storage purposes. 



7. Tool House. No changes have been made at this 



building. 



Drainage and Sewerage. 



In connection with the building of roads and paths about 

 the public conservatories and of the front approaches to the 

 museum building, the Department of Parks has laid earthen- 

 ware drain-pipes of large size and constructed the necessary 

 surface basins, substantially as contemplated in our plans. 

 In the progress of path-building by our laborers, several ad- 

 ditional surface basins have been constructed, and connected 

 with the main drainage system, also according to plan. 



The ultimate disposal of the drainage of the public con- 

 servatories and their surroundings west to the New York 



