242 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



structed similar to that of the famous Hagenbeck zoo in 

 Europe. Even in its earlier stages as at present the out- 

 door Grififith zoo is one of the most interesting sights in 

 Los Angeles. 



One of the features planned for Griffith Park is a free 

 people's country club. This will consist of a large and 

 well appointed club house with adjacent athletic grounds, 

 tennis court, golf course and open air swimming pool. 

 All these will be entirely free to the public. The golf 

 course was recently completed and is now in full opera- 

 tion. It furnishes an interesting and sporty eighteen hole 

 course, one of the best in California. 



Besides the parks already mentioned, several other 

 parks ofter varied attractions to the visitor, each with its 

 individual interest and charm. Echo Park contains the 

 largest of the park lakes, and claims many with its 

 splendid boating and canoeing facilities. Sycamore Grove 

 with its shady groves of giant sycamores and the neigh- 

 boring wild scenery of the Arroyo Seco is especially 

 popular with picnickers. 



Many of the parks contain tennis courts, Sunset, South 

 and Sycamore being the most important. Hollenbeck 

 Park shares with Echo in boating popularity and is the 

 real canoe resort of the city. A very attractive stone lioat- 

 house and refractorv has recently been completed here. 

 Westlake Park, which lies in the heart of the hotel district, 

 is widely known and is one of the oldest city parks. It 

 has a large lake much used for boating and canoeing. 

 ^^^estlakc is the least attractive of the cit\'s ]iarks as it 



has not yet been reconstructed. It is a wonderful example 

 of the chaos and confusion into which a park will grow 

 if allowed to develop by piece meal edition through a 

 great many years of successive and changing park ad- 

 ministration, when there is no definite and constant plan 

 to follow. It contains, however, a great wealth of horti- 

 cultural detail of much interest. 



The San Pedro plaza, which lies along the bluffs above 

 the city's harbor at San Pedro, is perhaps the most unique 

 park in the city. The view from this park over the busy 

 shipping of the harbor of a great city is one not often to 

 be enjoyed from the vantage point of a green lawn under 

 the shade of splendid trees. This park has been recently 

 reconstructed, graded and planted and is provided with 

 shady walks, broad stone seats and a charming stone rest- 

 house and overlook. 



A project proposed in the plans for a comprehensive 

 park system mentioned above is at present before the 

 city. This project looks to the acquisition of two park- 

 ways in the Silver Lake and Arroyo Seco valleys. The 

 land f(ir these parkways is being condemned and when 

 secured and developed will form the principal features of 

 a great parkway drive leading from the federal forest 

 reserve north of Pasadena, through the cities of Pasadena 

 and South Pasadena by way of Elysian Park and Wilshire 

 Boulevard to Saiita Monica and the sea. This will form 

 a continuous park drive more than thirty miles long, a 

 great boulevard from the mountains to the sea, a parkway 

 drive unique among the park features of ;\mcrica. 



E.XSTL.MCE P.\RK COXSERV.VTORY DESIGNED WV I., n i OX, L.-\NDSCAPE ARCIIITKi. I , AXD ERECTED UXDER HIS 



SUPERVISION. 



SELECTING A GOOD NURSERY TREE. 



Usually the grade of a nursery tree is determined by 

 its height, straightness of trunk and caliper at point 

 three inches from the ground. This rule of size, straight- 

 ness and trunk caliper holds for those varieties which are 

 good growers in the nursery, but there are others, and 

 desirable ones too, like Rhode Island Greening, which 

 are crooked growers and make first-class trees even 

 though they are crooked. A first-class tree should be 

 well grown, be healthy and vigorous, have the peculiar 

 characters of the variety (this allows crooked trunks if 

 thev result from the natural habit of the tree), be free 

 from insect and disease blemishes, with smooth, clean 

 bark and stocky trunk, have the union of cion or bud with 

 stock healed over, and be mature (this means that the 

 green leaves should not be stripped off before they are 

 ready to drop naturally). 



Low-headed trees cannot, of course, be graded in 

 height with high-headed ones of the same grade, nor can 

 one-year-old ones compare in all respects with two-year- 

 olds of the same grade. A general standard for grading 

 is adopted by most nurserymen and this in a measure 

 answers the purpose if the stock is about the same age 

 and character when sold. Now that low-headed and one- 

 \ear-old trees (besides the peach) are demanded, it might 

 be a good plan to adopt certain measurements for low- 



headed trees and others for high-headed trees one year 

 old, and other measurements for two years old, etc. 



It is often the case that when the proper way of heeling 

 in trees is not understood, the roots are only partly covered 

 and they dry out to the extent that the trees make only a 

 weak start, if any, and die during the first season. 



In digging nursery trees the root system is injured and 

 about seven-eighths or more of it is left in the ground. 

 Since the root system is reduced so much the top must 

 be reduced proportionately to maintain a fair balance be- 

 tween top and root. The roots should be pruned so as to 

 leave only three or four inches of each one. All bruised 

 parts should be pruned off and all cuts should be clean 

 and smooth. The tree is then in shape to be quickly and 

 easily planted, for a slight up-and-down movement of 

 the tree, while the earth is being thrown in, will settle 

 the earth around the roots, where it should be firmly 

 packed. If the ground is well prepared the holes for the 

 trees need not be very large, but if it is hard or in sod 

 it is well to make them three or even four feet across. 



The tops should be pruned, leaving spurs with two to 

 four buds each, and the "leader" should be cut off about 

 two and one-half feet from the ground. The more foliage 

 the better on the little trees, because leaves increase the 

 circulation anfl assimilation of the sap and shade the 

 trunk. — American Fniifs. 



