CIVIC IMPROVEMENT. 



189 



tion of finances, and we hope they may re- 

 ceive much encouragement. Besides this 

 committee, the whole province was di- 

 vided into five districts, with a member of 

 the executive board representing each, who 

 would be expected to do pioneer work in the 

 meantime until the appointment of a regu- 

 lar field secretary. The following are the 

 divisions : 



Western district, represented by G. R. 

 Patullo, Woodstock. 



Niagara district, represented by Mr. R. 

 Tasker Steele, Hamilton. 



Toronto district, represented by Major 

 Ellis, Toronto. 



Midland district, represented by J. D. 

 Hayden, Cobourg. 



Eastern district, represented by Major 

 Smallfield, Renfrew. 



THE ORGAN OF CIVIC IMPROVEMENT. 



The Board had under consideration the 

 best means of publishing the proceedings 

 and its literature, and it was unanimously 

 agreed that the Canadian Horticulturist be 

 made the organ of the League for Canada. 

 Already much space has been given to this 

 kind of work in this journal, and now it is 

 proposed to make it a special feature, be- 

 cause the improvement of our homes, the 

 beautifying of our cities, towns and villages, 

 and attention to sanitary conditions, these 

 subjects interest everybody. 



Further, it is proposed to issue bulletins 

 that can be distributed very freely and pub- 

 lished in the various newspapers, the first to 

 be written by the secretary, the second by 

 Mr. G. R. Patullo, and the third by Mr. L. 

 Woolverton. 



A YEAR OF PROGRESS IN PARK MAKING. 



On every side we hear news of advance 

 along the lines of park making. In Chicago 

 the Lincoln Park commissioners are prepar- 

 ing to spend from two to four millions of 

 dollars on extensions and improvements ; and 



the South Park commissioners are securing 

 legislation to increase their powers and to 

 improve their opportunities from Jackson 

 Park almost to the mouth of the Chicago 

 river. A boulevard to connect the north 

 and south park systems, to cross the river 

 by a commodious subway, is also under con- 

 sideration. In Ontario we find Toronto and 

 Hamilton both seeking to lay aside large 

 areas of land in reserve for city parks, and 

 soon we doubt not they will have plans pre- 

 pared for an extensive and beautiful park 

 system. Even the smaller towns, such as 

 Brantford, Brampton and Walkerton, are 

 securing land now to be made into parks as 

 soon as public opinion warrants the expendi- 

 ture. 



ARBOR DAY. 



Has not been kept in the schools in the man- 

 ner that its importance deserves. Too often 

 the only observance is a half-day tidying up 

 the yurd; and, even if it go so far as the 

 planting of a few trees, the teachers do not 

 sufficiently realize the higher end in view, 

 that of directing the attention of the children 

 upon outdoor beauty, and of teaching them 

 how to use nature's material in improving 

 the immediate surroundings of their homes 

 and school houses. 



RAILROAD PARKS. 



Much of the work so far executed along 

 the lines of our Grand Trunk and Canadian 

 Pacific roads belong to the geometrical 

 rather than to landscape gardening. While 

 the lawns are pretty and well kept, the beds 

 well planted and pretty, not the slightest 

 effort has yet been made in any case that we 

 have noticed toward unity of design or the 

 making of the whole to harmonize into a pic- 

 ture. No attempt has been made to hide 

 ugly views by appropriate grouping of trees, 

 nor to add picturesqueness to the lawns by 

 carefully disposed clumps of choice shrub- 



