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Qivie jmprovement 



A DEPARTMENT DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF THE HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETIES OF ONTARIO, AND OF ALL OTHER BODIES INTERESTED 

 IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SURROUNDINGS OF OUR 

 CANADIAN TOWN AND COUNTRY HOMES. 



CANADIAN PARKS ALONG THE NIAGARA RIVER 



NOT only all patriotic Canadians, 

 but lovers of nature the world 

 over, are more or less interested 

 in the preservation of the natural beauties of 

 Niagara. The policy of the Niagara Falls 

 Park Commissioners, as outlined by Mr. J. 

 W. Langmuir before the recent convention 

 of the American Park and Out-door Art 

 Association, shows that the commissioners 

 are aiming at making the Niagara frontier 

 a beauty spot 'that Canadians may be proud 

 of. Mr. Langmuir's address was intended 

 in some measure as a reply to those who 

 have criticized what they called vandalism 

 on the part of the Canadian commissioners 

 for allowing the various power companies 

 to cut up the Queen Victoria Park. In the 

 course of his address he referred to the fin- 

 ancial difficulties which the commission had 

 had to face and the happy solution of these 

 by the concessions to the power companies 

 and others, which in a short time will pro- 

 vide an annual revenue of about a quarter 

 of a million dollars. This the commission 

 proposes to expend in developing the beauty 

 of the river front, in preserving the natural 

 conditions in a locality so historic, and mak- 

 ing it the resting place of tired millions who 

 come to see it. 



In concluding his address Mr. Langmuir 

 said: 



Will you permit me to venture to take an 

 outlook into the future, the near future, 1 

 hope, and picture in your mind's eye the 

 completion of all the plans and projects of 

 the Park Commissioners on the* Canadian 

 side of the river. It is doubtless known to 

 some of you, at least, that the river bank 

 from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario is vested 

 in the commission. This reserve, now in 

 the process of being made the full width of 

 66 feet at all points, will be completed, the 

 bank of the river protected from erosion bv 

 the construction of an electric railway on 

 the shore line from Lake Erie to the park, 

 a well-constructed and well-kept road, or- 

 namented with shade trees along the entire 

 bank of the river, forming an avenue to 

 Queen Victoria Park. Within the park the 

 works of construction in connection with 

 the power plants completed, with only two 

 artistically designed power buildings in 

 sight, the river bank along the upper roads, 

 the Dufferin islands, and the entire grounds 

 above the Falls restored and beautified to 

 correspond with the finished portion of the 

 park overlooking the cataract. The un- 

 sightly buildings overlooking the Falls, in 

 one of which we are now sitting, torn down, 

 and a fine, artistic structure for shelter and 

 refectory purposes erected, and the whole 

 of the grounds, roads and walks in the park 



