1116 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



A PART OF THE HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, PARK SYSTEM 



Here the interesting _ features are the hroken skyline, the variety of texture in the foliage and the partial concealment of the buildings. The 

 skyline carried high by the mass of trees and accentuated at another point by the tower exemplifies sound principles of landscape gardening. 

 The weeping willow in contrast with the coarser foliage of the neighboring shrubs and trees add much interest and the careful planting 

 around the buildings brings them out just enough to help the scene without making the architectviral feature out of place in its quieter 

 surroundings. 



tlie old-fashioned idea of furnishing the citizens with set 

 and artificial gardens is fast disappearing and instead 

 many communities are acquiring vast ranges of woodland, 

 mountain, lake and river scenery and placing at the dis- 

 posal of their citizens these community forests, amidst 

 which they may roam at will. In the acquisition of these 

 parks the object sought is not the formal promenades, but 

 spacious areas in which the public can lose itself, forget- 

 ting for the moment the restrictions of city life and revel- 

 ing in the largeness of nature. Formerly our conception 

 of a park has Ijeen, in many cases, as a storehouse for 

 elaborate buildings, ornamental cut stone and floral 

 designs. Such parks do not afford the rest, inspiration 

 and refreshment which the city-weiried senses need so 

 much. In such parks the city dweller cannot find the 

 relief for his mind and body which could be found in 

 the poetic charm of the quiet woodland or the rural land- 

 scape. 



There are times when the formal and costly park is 

 a necessity. Small city scjunres must be more or less 

 formal in design and they are, of course, very necessary 

 to every city of considerable size. But there are also 

 strong arguments in favor of the woodland park. The 

 woodland park in this country is a comparatively new 

 departure in park development, but the charm of nature 

 in the simplicity of its woodlands is not new. All we 



need to do is to apply our forestry principles to the hand- 

 ling of these woods and collect that which nature might 

 scatter and we are sure to have a woodland park far more 

 attractive and wholesome than the formal garden. The 

 cost of starting and maintaining a forest park is also far 

 less than the amount required for a similar area of formal 

 park. There are only a few forest parks in this countrv. 

 but while our cities are still young it is possible for them 

 to set aside small tracts of woodland in their suburban 

 sections at a small cost and within a few years they will 

 find themselves the possessors of ground not only worth 

 many times the original cost, but also of inestimable value 

 to the health and development of their citizens. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

 Q. Almost without exception, the shade trees in this 

 city are trimmed in the early Spring and the trimming 

 consists of cutting back all the large limbs. The shade 

 trees in this locality seem to grow much faster than the 

 same trees in the East. The box elders, hard and soft 

 maples, black locust and poplar all send out such long 

 shoots in a year that it is difficult to shape the tree by 

 trimming, so the trees are cut horizontally through the 

 center of the crown, the result being a lot of sprouts 

 from the stubs of the limbs, making a very hideous tree. 



