88 TREES IN" WINTER 



most of the trees that are now found growing in them have been 

 23lanted. In the planting of these parks the landscape gardeners 

 have freely copied from nature. In some, like Central Park, New 

 York, certain sections have been set aside for formal or semi-arti- 

 ficial gardening. 



In the department of a park of the natural type, it is advisable, 

 as far as possible, to arrange the trees in groups according to spe- 

 cies. In this connection it is always well to study the special adap- 

 tation of the various species. Some prefer a light soil, while others 

 thrive best on heavy or moist soil. Some must have an abundance 

 of light, while others require some protection from the direct rays 

 of the sun. It is hoped that the lists given in the following chapter 

 may be of some assistance in the way of locating the trees in their 

 most comfortable environment. 



The planting in a natural city park should be so arranged that 

 nothing can be seen that suggests the city. With this in mind the 

 borders should be supplied with a fairly dense growth of trees 

 and shrubs. Some of the large growing evergreens will be found 

 useful for this purpose, using some brighter colored species, of 

 course, to enliven the effect. 



The making of a natural park is not unlike the work of plan- 

 ning the home grounds. The principles are the same. While it is 

 true that most natural parks are larger than the ordinary home 

 ground, the element of size is not such an important factor after 

 all. The modest home ground is considered a unit while the large 

 natural park is usually a collection of units, each one of which may 

 be developed along much the same line as suggested for the country 

 home. It must not be understood, however, that a well-planned 

 natural park lacks unity, although this is the prevailing weakness 

 of many parks. 



Many cities have made the great mistake in creating formal 

 parks when they might just as well have had natural ones. The 

 chief function of a park is to furnish rest and recreation to the 

 inhabitants of the city. Those who live in the smaller cities may 

 readily avail themselves of the refreshing rural scenery which is 

 the best antidote for the wearing influences of city life. To the 

 residents of the larger cities the rural scenery is inaccessible. The 

 city that best serves its inhabitants from the standpoint of parks 



