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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PARK SUPERINTENDENTS 



G. X. AMRHYN, Pres. 



OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS. 

 New Haven, Conn. R. W. COTTERILL, Sec.-Treas., Seattle, Washington. 



ASSOCIATION NOTES. 



.\ conferi'iici' tci disoiiss the 101.") convi'iitimi ]ilnns was called 

 liy President Anirylin at New Yovk Cit.v, the meetiiif; being held 

 at the office of Park Commissioner Cahot Waid on Saturday, 

 February 20. witli the following present : 



Gustave X. Amryhn, of Xew Haven : Fred C. Green, of Provi- 

 dence : .lames Shea and Wm, .J. Stewart, of Boston ; Wm. II. Cold- 

 well and Chas, Ilailtle, of Xewburgli ; M. C. Khel, of Madison, and 

 Hermann W. Merkel. George V. Nash. AVm. .1. Zartman, Frank L. 

 Ilamiltou, John F. Walsh. John H. Beatty. Edward A. Miller, Wm. 

 C. Grassau and (i. H. Bnrgevin, of New York. 



-Vs but three members of the Executive Board were iiresent. the 

 I'onference was informal, but its action will proliably be confirmed 

 by the other members of the board. 



After a full discussion regarding plans for the August conven- 

 tion at San Francisco, the following was agreed upon : 



That it was advisable that our convention lie lield the same 

 week as the convention of the Society of .\nierican I'lovists, which 

 has fixed its dates as August 17 to 20. 



That a full one-day business session lie held on Wednesday. 

 August IS. with morning, afternoon and evening business sessions. 

 The Executive Board can hold its meeting the evening before and 

 any programme of tours of inspection or social features to follow 

 on the 19th and 20th. 



That an effort be made to have delegates to the convention travel 

 together by special cars or train, and an itinerary .submitted by 

 M. C. Ebel \\"as apjjroved. 



This itinerary calls for a general assembling at Chicago on 

 August 7. then proceeding by special cars or train via the North- 

 ern route and Pacific Northwest with stop overs as follows : One 

 day and evening at Alinneapolis : an afternoon at Glacier Park : 

 a day and evening at Spokane: a day and evening at Seattle, and 

 a side tri]) to Tacoma : a day at Portland, arriving at San Fran- 

 cisco on the evening of the IGth ; leaving San Francisco on the 

 22d for Ixis Angeles, where San Diego is a short side trip. 



The return route to be via Salt Lake City. Colorado Springs, 

 Henver, St, Louis, etc. The return tri]) will most likely be made 

 in groups, but it is hojied that the westward trip can be as a 

 special party. 



Full details of itinerary will bi> sent to all niendiers by the 

 secretary at a later date. 



The cost of proposed itinerary, uansportalion and sleeper charges 

 from New York will be approximately SflTiTt. The Park Boards 

 of stoi> over cities will entertain the party to advantage. 



Mr. Coldwell. of the Coldwell Lawn Mower Company, invited 

 the association to make their building on the Exposition grounds 

 its headipiarters. wlii-h offer was accepted. 



PARK DEPARTMENT PERSONALS 



Our fellow nieudier. Uichard Power, of Halifax, \. S., recentlv 

 completed forty-lhree years of service in charge of the Public 

 Gardens of Halifax, and the following extract from a Halifax 

 paper best describes a most unusual ceremon,y in connection there- 

 with : 



"Superintendent Power, of the Public (iardens. was presented 

 with a substantial check and illuminated address in the City 

 Council Chamber Wednesday by Mayor Bligh on behalf of the 

 citizens of Halifax. Many prominent peojde of the cit.v were 

 present to felicitate Mr. Power on this happy occasion. 



"In making the presentation. Mayor Bligh said that the Public 

 Gardens were famous all over America. He called on Mr. W. E. 

 Schwartz, chairman of the fund : the Lieutenant-Governor, Arch- 

 deacon Armitage and Dr. Forrest. They all spoke in the highest 

 terms of the Public Gardens and of Mr. I'ower. 



"In a few brief words Superintendent Power thanked the execu- 

 tive and the people of Halifax for the honor conferred on him. 

 lie said that it was gratifying to know that his efforts to please 

 the people had met with success. Mr. Power said it had always 

 In en a pleasure to him to beautify the Gardens. Closing, he said: 

 '1 thank you all and wish you the season's greetings.'" 



The amount of the check was $1,281.17. 



The illuminated address was as follows: 



7'o liiihard Power, Esquire. 



iS'ir; A number of eiti~eiis of Ihtlifii.r and a few other friends 

 take this opportiiiiiti/ of ej-pressinrj their appreeiation of the great 



norl; iimt liiin m luin plislud iix an prriiiti iiil< ii I iij ini.r I'uhlie 

 Hardens. 



You hare ineii in rhanje almost from the her/inning, and we 

 can offer no higher praise than .dimply to point to the marrelous 

 beauty of this far-famed spot. We beliere that you may jiisti]/ 

 and irithoiit boasting sny like the great arehiteet of St. Paul's 

 Cathedral: "Si nionumentum requiris eircumspiee." 



The name of the Halifax Gardens has gone far and wide. We 

 hear of them ererywhere. Nothing more beautiful c-an be found in 

 any city in .Xmeriea. However faithfully the eonimissioners may 

 hare done their u^jrk. they would he the first to -aeknou-ledge that 

 the credit of their great sueeess is justly due to you. ir/ic» we 

 remember the limited resourees that hare been at your eommand 

 I very one is amazed at the work that has been accomplished. 



Your unfailing kindness and thoughtful consideration have added 

 greatly to the pleasure of all visiting this beautiful spot, and have 

 made you beloved by old and young alike. 



Please accept this accompanying gift as a small token of our 

 appreciation. 



We pray lliiil imur life may long be spared, and we feel that 

 n-hile you lire the Halifax Public Gardens will maintain the posi- 

 tion theii hare so long held among the beautiful public places on 

 the continent. 



Through a betiuest in the will of CoUis P. Huntington, the city 

 (if San Francisco is to secure for u.se as a children's playground 

 a tract of ground in the fashionable Nob Hill district, valued at 

 .$275,000. 



Nicholas Byhower, who will be remembered by those who were 

 al the Kansas City convention on account of the beautiful photo- 

 graphic display of Salt Lake City which he exhibited, has retired 

 as superintendent of the parks of that city. Jlr. Byhower owned 

 an interest in a nursery, and when the park department secured 

 some stock from this nursery, political enemies got in their work 

 and brought about his retirement. 



This is a striking illustration of how a man's motives may be 

 misjudged. Mr. Byhower had built up the Salt Lake City park 

 system from its infancy, and it is unfortunate that he should be 

 tlie victim of political enemies. 



The 4.''>tli Annual lieiiort of the West Chicago Park Commis- 

 sioners just out is the most attractive publication ever published 

 by any of the park administration agencies of that city. 



In addition to a wealth of pictures illustrating buildings equip- 

 meut and dcvehipment work. Superintendent A. C. Schrader has 

 (le\oted thirteen jiages to a detailed report on the playground 

 .'acilities. jilan of operation, activities conducted, employees and 

 general descriptive detail, which should prove invaluable to other 

 cities wrestling with this problem. 



.\ review of this kind unfortunatel.v seldom appears, and if you 

 missed it. better look it up. Superintendent Schrader is to be 

 congratulated on having incor}iorated in his report such valuable 

 detail. 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LOUISVILLE'S PARKS. 



.Tohn C. Olmstead, of Brookline, Mass.. land.scape artist for the 

 Louisville Board of Park Commissioners, was recently in the city, 

 where he made a ctudy of the parks and parkways, after 

 which he made a report to the board. Mr. Olmstead called 

 particular attention to the necessity of planting trees. Other 

 leconimendations were that Louisville shonld have a city plan- 

 ning commission: that park scenery should not be marred by 

 erection of public buildiuffs in parks: that playgrounds should 

 not be permitted in [larks, unless screened by shruldiery to pre- 

 vent marring of the park's lieautv: that the number of the parks 

 should be added to. as they would soon be inadequate in size 

 for the city: that the parkway system, which is inadequate 

 because of the method of financing, should be paid for by the 

 assessment system prevailing in Kansas City: that there .should 

 be radial parkways from tlie center of the city, some streets 

 lieing lieautilied as ]iarkways as much as possible, and that Third 

 street and Broadway shonld be made parkways nnder the con- 

 trol of the park commissioners, with building restrictions alonor 

 all new ])arkwa.vs. The routes along all intenirban lines should 

 lie beautified, he said, and a number of extra playgrounds should 

 be' sujqilied in varions parts of tlie cit.v. these pla.vgrounds to he 

 beautified to some extent by shrubbery. It is not known at thi.* 

 time what action the park commissioners will take concerning the 

 reconimendations of Jlr. Olmstead. — Exchange. 



