1879.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



71 



Planting in the Philadelphia Squares. 

 — S. S. P., Philadelphia, asks : "Can you tell me 

 who is responsible for the planting of evergreens 

 in our public squares located in the built up por- 

 tion of the city, as they do not seem to learn by 

 experience, continuing to plant the same class 

 of evergreens only to have them eke out a mis- 

 erable existence of a few months, to the great 

 disgust of those who feel an interest in the orna- 

 mentation of the squares. As you are well aware, 

 evergreens never have done well planted in 

 our city, or in New York, Baltimore or Boston, 

 but nevertheless our city fathers continue to 

 plant them, without any regard to the waste of 

 money it entails, or their utter unsuitableness. 

 Perhaps you can also tell me from what class of 

 men, are selected those to whom the planting is 

 entrusted, from the manner in which the holes 

 are dug and the trees tumbled in, 1 have been led 

 to suppose they had been educated as grave-dig- 

 gers, so admirably do they seem suited for the 

 purpose. Certainly they never before planted 

 trees, which requires the greatest care if they 

 are expected to succeed, and you can well appre- 

 ciate how a lover of aboriculture feels when he 

 sees his favorites crowded into small holes, just 

 large enough to receive them, and left without 

 any support to be blown about by the winds, 

 before they are able to take care of themselves. 

 Now, I do not propose being critical, but merely 

 ask for information \ may I trouble you for light?" 



[The planting in the city squares is done by the 

 Commissioner of City Property ; and is usually 

 carried out under his immediate supervision or 

 direction. He probably does the best he knows 



how, but he cannot be expected to know whether 

 a man is ' a grave digger,' or a skilled gardener. 

 If the citizens of Philadelphia, or any other large 

 city cannot invent a plan by which those who 

 are fitted for the several offices shall get into 

 them, they have little right to complain when 

 the only plan they can think of does not work as 

 they wish. Under the present system those who 

 are already in office decide who shall be the can- 

 didates for vacant positions, and it is but human 

 nature that friends, irrespective of fitness should 

 be the lucky persons. To suppose that those 

 who thus decide who shall be city commissioner 

 should give the office to a stranger who knows 

 something to a personal friend who does not 

 know, is not in accordance with every day experi- 

 ence. So far as Philadelphia is concerned it is a 

 matter of surprise that, considering the system 

 under which the office-holders are nominated by 

 other office-holders, they generally do so well; and 

 it is an argument that there is more good in hu- 

 manity generally, than it gets credit for. In this 

 case of the city squares we fancy the present com- 

 missioner does quite as well as any other gentle- 

 man would do elected under such a system and we 

 are not disposed to criticise him harshly when it 

 is the systen of nominations that is to be blamed 

 for all this scandalous waste. Bad as the squares 

 are now, we have seen them very much worse 

 than they have been the past few years. Ever- 

 greens would grow very well in the city squares 

 if half the deciduous trees were taken out, as 

 they ought to be. Neither grass nor evergreens 

 will grow where the whole earth is a mass of 

 roots from mature trees. — Ed. G. M.l 



Green House and House Gardening. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



The fern offers itself as one of the best classes 

 of plants to use in house and conservatory gar- 

 dening. As a rule they are petted too much. 

 There are some kinds which will only do under 

 closely glazed cases, or in dark rooms, or in 

 damp situations •, but the greater number of them 



will do very well when treated as ordinary 

 plants. Of course if one desires to get extraor- 

 dinary specimens, such as we see in the hands of 

 skilled gardeners, and are often brought out at 

 horticultural exhibitions, these little niceties of 

 cultivation must receive due attention ; but as a 

 rule creditable plants can be produced by ordi- 

 i nary skill. One advantage which they possess 



