FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 83 



which could be cleaned from without. A cage to meet the most 

 urgent requirements was hurriedly planned by the Director and 

 Chief Constructor, and erected in two weeks' time by our ground 

 improvement force, under the direction of Mr. de Wellworth. 

 Although small, this cage is not bad looking, it is very strong and 

 well suited to its purpose, and its cost was only $547.01. 



The important space on Baird Court north and east of the 

 Primate House that never before had been properly graded and 

 paved, was surfaced with tar-macadam at a cost of about $100. 



The grass plot surrounding the Administration Building was 

 covered with soil, graded and seeded. As soon as the contract 

 work for the surrounding coping was completed, the iron fence 

 bought last year for the front of this plot was erected thereon. 

 The planting of evergreens north and south of the new building 

 was completed early in the spring. In the basement store-rooms 

 of the building many small improvements in the line of additional 

 painting and carpentry work were made. 



Outside of the work done at the Administration Building and 

 new Comfort Station, the planting consisted mostly of additional 

 shade trees; though some small additions were made to the rho- 

 dodendrons in Beaver Valley and to the planting surrounding the 

 Concourse. This, with the exception of the usual number of 

 small miscellaneous ground improvement items, such as the erec- 

 tion of guard rails and fences, the building of various small cages 

 and a shelter house in the White-Tailed Deer corral, completes 

 the record of ground improvement work for the year. 



MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS 



The amount of work necessary to maintain in good condition 

 the great number of animal installations and buildings, as well as 

 in distributing food supplies, cleaning and policing the grounds, 

 pruning and spraying trees, and maintaining lawns and flower- 

 beds, at times threatened to swamp the maintenance force. 

 When it became necessary, on account of the great drought of the 

 past summer, to run a number of additional water-pipes, and do 

 a great deal of watering, the extra burden was severely felt. 



Another unusual tax on the maintenance force was caused by 

 the stoppage of the main sewer from the Elephant House, east- 

 ward of the Elephant Walk. This sewer was so completely 

 clogged that the cellars of the Lion House and Elephant House 

 were badly flooded. It became necessary, not only to pump out 

 those buildings, but also to dig down to a sewer 18 feet below the 

 surface of the ground, remove the obstructing materials, and re- 



