8 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1897. 



was in Coventry where the famous colored cathedral glass was made 

 years ago, the manufacture of which has now become a lost art. 



There are many reasons why the roads of England are in better 

 condition than our own. It was on the drive to Coventry that we 

 came across our first macadam road. The stones are all cracked by 

 hand, as labor is cheap there. They arc kept iu good condition by 

 constant repair, and in our drive to Coventry we came across three 

 steam rollers in a distance of five miles. The conditions in England 

 are very different from what they are in this country. They do not 

 have the severe frosts we have here, nor do they have the heavy 

 teaming. * 



To my mind some of the streets iu London beat any in the world, 

 not excepting Paris. They dig deep and make a firm foundation of 

 cement, upon which they place hard wooden blocks, and the combina- 

 tion makes the nicest streets. There is no digging up of streets con- 

 stantly for sewers, and so they can keep in good condition. The cabs 

 in London are all rubber-tired, and the horses do not have calks in 

 their shoes. Outside of the busiest part of London we saw sorne 

 streets that were block-paved, but they were in better shape than any 

 we see here. 



Warwick is the finest castle remaining today in England. Another 

 fine castle is Windsor castle, which has beautiful parks, and although 

 they are owned by the crown they are open to the public. Indeed, no 

 country seems to have so much ground for pleasure as England. All 

 the people owning large estates are very liberal, and always allow the 

 general public to enjoy their parks and groves. There aie no signs 

 "Keep off the grass," such as are so often seen here. 



The series of parks iu London is immense. One of the best known 

 is St. James Park, although it is not so large as some of the others, 

 and contains only about fifty-nine acres. In the very centre of it is a 

 moat similar to that at Elm park. The park is used mostly for prome- 

 nading and for crossing from one section of the city to another. 



One of the largest parks in London is Hyde Park, having an ex- 

 panse of 300 acres. This resort is used largely for driving. A road 

 encircles the park, and on almost every afternoon most of the nobility 

 may be seen there. One day I saw at least five hundred children, 

 some with their nurses, playing on the grass in the park. That is the 

 way, I think, our parks should be used, and it is my belief that we are 

 inclined to guard ours too closely. London is well supplied with parks 

 and they are kept for pleasure, not to look at. Those who think that 

 London children cannot get much fresh air, are greatly mistaken. 



