76 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY 



very hard to understand: how it is possible to keep anything from injury in the city of 

 New York. One who has not been through the experience of trying to take care of these 

 playgrounds can hardly realize the difficulties that attend caring for the shrubbery and 

 trees in a playground like this in a densely populated section. 



Directly in front of the playgrounds is a large gymnasium-ground for boys, for games 

 and all gymnasium apparatus, and a running-track. We have built quite a complete 

 building for shelter and refreshment, on which we have spent about $50,000 or |6o,ooo, 

 which has many baths in the basement, and above is a shelter where the band plays in 

 the summer, and where is a place to sit and enjoy the breeze. 



This park has the most perfect buildings of any park in the city. These buildings 

 were designed by Barney & Chapman. They have taken advantage of the mistakes in 

 other parks, and have made the buildings more convenient and simple than the others, 

 and they are not quite so expensive. I should prefer to see the buildings more simple; 

 they are for the people who gather there to enjoy. It seems almost like a waste of money 

 to spend so much of it in that way. 



All the plantation work is not finished and is still in the hands of the contractors 

 of the Park Department, and trees will be set out in the spring. You will notice on the 

 contour map some large rock; that has all been retained, and everything is kept very 

 closely to the original contour of the land; and yet, at the same time, the slopes are made 

 easy and attractive, and are sodded with grass. 



There is one thing to be said in regard to this shrubbery plantation work in all of 

 the downtown parks, and that is the great care needed to be taken of them; although 

 the police try to exercise control, it seems almost hopeless to attempt to keep trees in 

 order and unbroken. Shrubbery suffers in the same way. 



You will notice that the space at the west end of the park is quite interesting because 

 this is where we have the farm-garden at present located; the trees are not planted here, 

 except on the outside. We do not allow them to plant anything in this farm-garden that 

 is tall, like corn. They have cabbages, beets, turnips, and all those things. The farm- 

 garden is in the middle, and is divided into little plots, and three hundred children, more 

 or less, come in at different times of the day, and have certain hours to take care of their 

 plots; there is considerable rivalry among the children who come here, and they seem to 

 have a very good time. Mrs. Henry Parsons has worked the farm-garden idea up very 

 carefully and made quite a success of it. There will probably be several others started 

 during the coming year. Connected with this farm-garden there is a pergola made especi- 

 ally for the mothers and children and for the use of the farm-garden tools; there is also 

 a lecture-room where the teachers talk to the children in rainy weather. This is a very 

 attractive building, and from it you can look out upon the Hudson. It is quite a success 

 and very popular. 



The system of protection goes all around the park; the fence on the outside is about 

 six feet high, and there are sloping banks with grass planted on them, and all of these 

 banks have been re-sodded two or three times since they were put down last summer 

 because the boys tear them up. Of course this park would suffer more now in its present 

 condition because it is still in the hands of the contractor; the police do not have the 

 same control that they will have when the park is turned over from the contractor into 

 the hands of the Park Board. 



There is quite a steep slope running down to the Hudson; this is all sodded with 



