22 PACIFIC STATES FLOKAL CONGRESS. 



at a very much reduced rate. In 1887 the principal feature added to 

 the park's attractions was the erection of the Children's House, by gift 

 of bequest of Ex-Senator Sharon. In the next year a great impetus- 

 was given to park work by an act of the Legislature, doubling the 

 amount allowed for park improvements. In this year a new band-stand 

 was erected, a large amount of lawn space was created, and a deer park- 

 laid out, fenced, and stocked. Since that period lakes have been laid 

 out, miles of roads and walks built, the Huntington Waterfall con- 

 structed, recreation grounds of large extent laid out, graded, loamed, 

 and planted to meadow, the Spreckels Music Stand built, and new water- 

 works and pumping machinery, with a capacity of raising 2,000,000 

 gallons per day, added. 



These are the general lines on which Golden Gate Park has been 

 laid out. 



The principles of park building are the same in character, whether 

 practised in California or elsewhere, the universal guide being unity 

 of design and character with regard to the whole, and grouping or con- 

 nection in respect to the parts. The original character of the grounds 

 must be taken into consideration and treated accordingly. Some dis- 

 agreeable natural features may have to be eliminated, other natural 

 characters may have to be strengthened and made more prominent, the 

 aim being to create such a piece of scenerv as from its simple unity of 

 character and pleasing combination of grouping will form an appro- 

 priate finish to the pleasure-ground. 



Harmony and connection of the different parts are essentially 

 requisite to the formation of character in ground, and nothing is so 

 disagreeable as its interruption. The most beautiful mound or ter- 

 race formally placed on a level, or the most elegant sweep amid abrupt- 

 nesses and irregularities, will ever be discordant. 



The tendency of the times in landscape work seems to point to 

 the elimination of the California character from the landscape. This is 

 due to the many introductions from foreign lands, nearly all of which 

 are more easily propagated, are as easily transplanted, and in a much 

 shorter period raised to marketable size. They threaten to push into 

 the background our native trees and shrubs, besides taking away from 

 the landscape the California character which ought to predominate in 

 our garden effects. 



Illustrative of the change in fashion now taking place in the lay- 

 ing out of gardens, note the rage for the building of terraces ter- 

 races on the hill, and terraces on the flats. They are also taking away 

 some of our most beautiful undulating slopes, and raising in their places 

 tiff, formal ridges, calling them terraces, when some of them are not 

 more than a foot high. This seems to me most ridiculous and out of 



