TEXTBOOK OF LANDSCAPE GARDENING 
about this plaza in such a manner as to give it ample shade. It is 
doubtful whether groupings of trees can be made effective in other 
parts of the square, and it is usually best to leave the remaining 
spaces open for grass. 
The establishment of good grass lawns is the next step to be 
considered. The ground of course must be carefully graded in order 
that such lawns may be kept mowed. 
Flower beds should never be used on these spaces unless a very 
high degree of maintenance can be assured by a well-organized and 
well-managed park department. Plantings of shrubbery are rarely 
satisfactory in such localities unless they have the same thorough- 
going attention. 
Suitable seats should be provided under the shade of the larger 
trees, both along the marginal sidewalks and about the central plaza. 
Illustration 
Herewith is presented a plan of a typical city square in Minne- 
apolis, Minn. The present design, made by Mr. Theodore Wirth, 
Superintendent of Parks, is a radical simplification and improvement 
of a previous elaborate layout. 
Problems 
The pupil should copy this design at a scale of 1’ = 40’. The 
copy may be made in pencil and rendered in crayon, or may be made 
in ink. 
The pupil should“now make an exhaustive examination of all 
the open squares anywhere within his reach. He should make a 
full record of their size, character of the surface, present use, plant- 
ings and furnishings. He should determine whether they are put 
to the best uses or not and whether additional spaces of this kind 
can be secured in any way. 
The student should next make a detailed survey of some par- 
196 
