OBJECT LESSONS IN CITY PARKS. 



a mass of bright colored autumn fol- 

 iaged trees and shrubs as Thunberg's 

 berbery, sumach, sassafras or pepper- 

 idge, etc. 



It is the aim of the Detroit Park 

 Board to have the character of the dif- 

 ferent parks dissimilar. 



Next in size to Belle Isle Park is 

 Palmer Park, on which is situated Ex 

 Sen. Palmer's log cabin, filled with relics 

 of olden times. It is desired to carry 

 out in this park the primitive conditions 

 of early settlers, instead of gaudy 

 geraniums and assertive canna, will be 

 the old fashioned flowers. In this park 

 will be collected all the plants obtain- 

 able that are native of our State, that 

 are worthy of cultivation. It will be a 

 botanic garden of Michigan. It will be 

 such a distinct and unique feature and 

 object lesson that a person wishing to 

 see our various parks can form no idea 

 of this one by seeing any of the others. 



That the parks may not be defaced, 

 the rules governing the privilege of 

 stringing telegraph and telephone lines 

 should be a prohibitory one, and those 

 for park purposes should be placed in 

 conduits. As to the advertisements 

 that may from time to time find their 

 way within the park boundaries, there is 

 but one way to settle that — a complaint 

 in the police court. In the Detroit 

 parks everything in the way of an ad- 

 vertisement is prohibited, even to hand- 

 bills. 



A few regulations giving the main 

 rules of a park that are most apt to be 



violated may be placed at the entrances. 

 Outside of that, the fewer rules and 

 signs posted about the park the better 

 it is for all concerned. 



The park should be conducted on 

 broad lines, and the freedom of the peo- 

 ple should be restricted as little as pos- 

 sible. By this, I do not mean that law- 

 lessness is allowable, but that there will 

 be perfect freedom for the enjoyment of 

 its advantages. There should be proper 

 facilities for the enjoyment of the various 

 amusements, a place to bathe, a place 

 for children to wade and sail boats ; 

 there may be baseball grounds, foot- 

 ball grounds, bicycle tract, lawn-tennis 

 or any sport that may be in popular 

 favor. 



One more point. Let the parks be 

 an object lesson in education. New or 

 little known plants should be labeled. 

 As the landscape features are built up, 

 set aside a place where plants can be 

 planted, each family more or less by it- 

 self, with a label to every species. 



There are many very desirable plants 

 growing in every park that people would 

 like to obtain for their homes, but that 

 do not know its name, and consequent- 

 ly cannot order it from the nurserymen. 

 A label giving its common name, scien- 

 tific name and its family, places that 

 plant where it can do its full duty to 

 all. 



R. J. Coryell, 



Supt. Detroit Parks- 



Detroit, Mich. 



DRIED APPLES IN FRANCE. 



CONSUL TOURGEE, of Bordeaux, 

 writes The Fruit Trade Journal, 

 " The decided increase in the im- 

 portation of dried apples and pears 

 should call the attention of the shippers 

 of these commodities to the necessity 

 of keeping this market well supplied 

 with information in regard to the trade. 



This consulate was overrun during last 

 autumn and early winter with applica- 

 tions for addresses of shippers of dried 

 fruits in^the^United States. I found it 

 very difficult/rom the resources at my 

 command to answer these inquiries. In 

 a general way this difficulty exists in 

 regard to all lines of trade." 



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