LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 339 
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LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
PARKS FOR SMALL TOWNS. 
PROF. H. W. S. CLEVELAND, MINNEAPOLIS. 
Most people who have not paid special attention to the subject are apt 
to suppose that parks are only wanted by large cities, and would be super- 
fluous luxuries for small towns. It would be a more truthful statement 
of the case to say that, while absolutely essential in large cities, no town 
that has or ever hopes to have, as many as 10,000 inhabitants should fail 
to make provision for such an area of public ground as will suffice for the 
wants of its inhabitants, and in which every one has a common 
right. The term parkis so universally applied to all public grounds, that 
it is perhaps useless to attempt to adhere to the strict definition of the 
word; but, if we call every tract of public pleasure ground a park, it be- 
comes necessary in every case to specify the kind of park we refer to, 
whether a driving park or a park for pedestrians only, an extensive area 
comprising varieties of natural scenery, or a mere city square planted 
with trees and arranged with walks. 
The fact has come to be fully recognized in theory.that rest and recrea— 
tion are essential to the best development of moral and physical character; 
but we are slow to carry our theories into practice. We make every pro- 
vision, at whatever cost, for public business and public work, but none 
for public amusement and recreation. We say virtually to the people: 
“Those of you, who have not the means to indulge in the costly amuse- 
ments provided by individuals, must look out for yourselves. No public 
money must be used to furnish places or means whereby you may refresh 
your weary limbs or gather new heart for life’s conflicts by rest and 
communion with nature.” 
Perhaps it may be conceded that a mere rural village,which can never 
attain a larger population than can be numbered by hundreds, needs no 
such provision beyond what may be furnished by a village improvement 
society. The fields and woods in the immediate vicinity of such hamlets 
are easily accessible, and the number of thuse who seek them is not so 
large as to make their presence objectionable. But when a town attains 
such a size that individuals or parties of its citizens are resorting daily to 
the neighboring country for recreation, their visits become such a source 
of annoyance to the farmer,that in self-defence he is forced to put up the 
sign of ‘‘ No trespassing on these grounds.” 
Then, the want of a place of resort for pic-nic and pleasure parties 
induces some individual to supply the demand by making a park of some 
portion of his,own grounds and charging a fee from those who use it. 
The fact that such a measure rarely fails to prove profitable to the pro- 
prietor is a sufficient*indication that the demand exists, but there are 
many and serious objections*to such a mode of supplying it. No indi- 
