VILLAGE n^lPROVEMENT 



CiviL' Improvonicnt." Tlit^ ol'jrct of tin.- or.iraiiizatioii, 

 as statfi.! iu tlie c'uustitution, " .shall In- to liriii.i;- iiilo 

 conimuuieation f^r aoquuiutuiK-e and inuriuil iicl]iful- 

 ness all ori:;anizatioiis intfreytetl, in tlir |iri>iu(iiii'ii of 

 outdoor art, public beauty, town, vilhiyi^ and iifi;;l]lH)r- 

 hood improvenu'iit." The lieadnuarters td' the iiatinnal 

 orjjanization are at Spriui^tield, Ohio. 



As iu Europe, the eomiuereial possibilitic-^ nf thr work 

 are beginning- to api.'eal to the American liusinrss man. 

 Larg'e owners of real estate and tenant ii-iusrs are 

 adopting as business methods some of the special fea- 

 tures of improvemeut associatious. C'onimereial (dubs 

 and boards of trade are awakeniug to the fact that a 

 cdeanly and beautiful oity containing tine boulevards, 

 riverside drives and parks. ]>uldic baths and swinunini;' 

 pools, is as much of an iudiUM-nient to nt'w hrms (h'sii-- 

 iug to locate as is a cash bonus or i;-ood shii>]iii!g- 

 facilities. Firms and .i^^ood idtizeus seekiiii;' m^w loca- 

 tions and lindiui^ these advantages are assured without 

 farther search that the schuids will be y:ood. the resi- 

 dence district tine, aud that a minimnm of undesiral)le 

 residents will be found. Nurserymen, iiorists and 

 dealers in paint are the first to reap material benefit 

 from the formation of these associations. Usually the 

 first step in improrins^ property is the planting of trees 

 and rtowers, then the house receives a coat of paint. It 

 is au excellent idea for au improvement association to 

 encourage lioral shows, with prizes to schools and 

 school children, for through the latter medinm the in- 

 fection of beautifying is carried into homes that can be 

 reacheil no other way. 



These associations in no way interfere "with the work 

 of the city officers. Rather they supplement it by do- 

 ing the things for which the town laws make no provi- 

 sion. The officers of towns having one or more of these 

 associations liud the enforcement of laws made easier, 

 and should a large sum be needed for necessary im- 

 provements, they are likely to find an intelligent public 

 knowledge npon the subject iu place i.if the oftentimes 

 exasperating stupidity. 



The results obtained from an active and prosperous 

 association are manif oh:l. These societies make far better 

 citizenship: they create an intelligent civic pride. They 

 make possible practical civics in the public schools. 

 The commercial benefits of such work appeal to the lib- 

 eral and progressive element among all business uien. 



Je.^sie M. Good. 



The limitations of space do not allow an historical 

 sketch of the various movements culminating in the 

 organization of the American League for Civic Improve- 

 ment, nor a list of the various periodicals which are de- 

 voted partly or wholly to the work. A great work for 

 village and civic improvement is done by general agen- 

 cies as well as by the special societies devoted to the 

 work. An analysis of these complex social forces is 

 beyond the scope of this cyclopedia, but the following 

 outline sent by Charles Mulford Robinson, author of 

 "The Basis of Civic Improvement," will be found very 

 suggestive. The work outside the special societies may 

 be roughly summarized as that done. — I. By committees 

 (1) Of women's clubs (a) local, (6) federated; (2) Of 

 boards of trade, etc.; (3) Of real estate exchanges. II. 

 By political organizations, in securing better officials. 

 III. By the organizations of these officials, (1) The 

 American Society of Municipal Improvements, (2) The 

 League of American Municipalities, (.S) The State 

 Leagues of Municipalities. IV. By corporations, fl) 

 Model communities, (2) Improvement of home grounds, 

 neiirbborhoods. V. By individuals d) For private j.ro- 

 fit. (2) Out of public'spirit. L, H. P.. 



VILLARSIA nymphoides is the idant described at 

 p. 92.J of this work as LiittiiiDUln^mioii- in/in/>JioUles. Tlie 

 plant is probably to be referred to L'nnnanflieminn pel- 

 tafum, however. To the list of pictures add Gn. 48:1036 

 and 48, p. 300. 



VIMINARIA (Latin, vimen, a slender twig or withe, 

 alluding to the Itranches). Leg^imindsce. A single spe- 

 cies, an Australian shrub with rush-like steTns and long, 

 wiry "leafless " branches, i.e., the leaves for the most 

 part reduced to long, filiform petioles, although at the 



VINCA 



1933 



ends uf themon^ xigorous or lower In-anchcs a few <iv;d or 

 lanceolate Ivs. aiv .d'ten found. The rai her sjnal I Mnwers 

 are |)ea-sha})ed, ofiLi|o;e,y,.[i,,^y .,,^,| ,,^-,. pj^Hluced in bnig, 

 terminal rai-cnies. Caly\-te<>[h shurl ; jieials on I'alber 

 lon^- ehtws; slanda.rd roundish; wings oblong, ^h.)rle^ 

 than llii' standai'd ; keel sli-btly curved, as long as (lie 

 win;^s; stamens [vi-i^: ovary nearly sessih^; stvle liJi- 

 t'oi-ni: pod ovoid-oblong, nsuallv ' jndehiscent :" si^eds 

 1-2. 



denud^ta, Smith. The name Leafless Hnsh-l»room h;is 

 been |M-opose,l for this. Lealless yeIlow-fl«l. shrub, at- 

 taining' 1(1-2(1 fl., formerly r*nlt. in European ijreen- 

 honses as a small tendi-r sbrnb: Ivs. li-.s in. Iohl;-: ]mmI 

 2-;5 lines lorn;-. Australia. B.M. IVMK ]*.M. 14-]-':; - 

 Ottered in S.Calif. p. W, BAr;ri.AV. 



VtWCA {]>crriiir</, old Latin name of Periwinkle, 

 used l)y Pliny). A pocynar, <i . A genns of ill s].ecies 

 incdudin.i;- the common Periwinkle or Trailing Myrtle, 

 \'iwn iiiiimr. This is one ol' the commonest and liest 

 planls fur covering the ground in deep shade, esiiciually 

 nndi'r trees and in cenn-teries. It is a hardy trailing 

 plant with sliiidng evergrei-n f(diage and blue, salver- 

 shaped, ."i-h.'beii lis. about an inch across, appearin^^ in 

 siu-in.ij: or early summer. It forms a dense carpet to the 

 exidusjon of other herbs. It thrives liest in nnjist, half- 

 shaded |.)Ositions, but will grow in tin- deepest shade 

 even in poor soil, especially if it lie stony. It is a ca]>i- 

 tal I'lant for clothing steej. banks. co\'ering ro(d<s and 

 car]teting gro\"es. It can lie iilantt.'d snci'essfidly on a 

 large scale any time from s]iring to fall during- mild 

 or rainy weather. It is proiiagateil by division or l.iy 

 cuttings, as seeds very j'arid}" mature. The Peri\A'inkle 

 will live i]i city yards uniler trees where grass will 

 not thrive. P. mi nor is the commonest and peril a) >s 

 most variable species. A'arieties with wljit<-, pur|ile 

 and doulile fls. are kept in most nurseries, as also a 

 form with variegated foliage. 



\'iiir*( major is larger in all its parts than the com- 

 mon I^eriwinkle and not so hardy. It is well knoAvn to 

 florists. A variegated form of it is seen in nearly every 

 veranda box in the country. 



P. rosea is a tender plant of erect habit which is 

 used chiefly for summer bedding. It grows about a foot 

 high and has rosy purple or white fls. with or without a 

 redilish eye, and often 2 in. across. The plants blocmi 

 continuously from the time they are set out until frost. 

 It can be grown in large masses for public parks with 

 somewhat less expense than geraniums. Mr. Strom- 

 back, head gardener of Lincoln Park, Chicago, has re- 

 corded his ex])erience with Vhica rosea in Florists' Re- 

 view 1:141 as follows: The seed is sown in Jan. or 

 Feb. in flats of sandy soil in a temp, of b.")°-TO°. When 

 the seedlings show the second leaf, tliey are pricked 

 out about an inch apart in trays of tlie same soil, and 

 when the little plants have r> or 6 Ivs. they are pt>tted 

 into 2-in. rose pots, and later shifted to 3-in. pots. The 

 majority are bedded out from the 3-in. pots. The scdl 

 of the bed shonhl be a samly loam if possible, and the 

 plants will not do well in a very heavy soil. In bedding, 

 set the plants about a foot apart. They require more 

 water than a geranium, and wlren the bed is watered it 

 should be given a good soaking and then left alone for 

 a few days. The plants require no trimming. 



The amateur will flnd ]'i»ca rosea a satisfactory 

 window plant that can be grown with little trouble from 

 seeds started as late as April, but of course such plants 

 will not bloom as early as the bedding .stock propagated 

 in Jan. or Feb. P. rosea- is the largest flowered Vinca, 

 and it seeds freely. ■^'■_ j^^ 



riiira major and varieties are the nn")st useful of the 

 getnis to the commercial florist. Some plants from 

 2-inc.h or 3-in(di ))ots should be planted out in May. 

 They will make large plants by Septeml)er. For decorat- 

 ing purposes, some of these plants can be lifted and put 

 in 5-inch pots and will winter in a very cool house. To 

 obtain useful sized plants in 3-inch pots the following 

 spring for veranda, box and vases, cuttings should be 

 put into sand end of September. The long tmiling 

 growths will give an abundance of material. Always 

 make the cutting with two eyes, choosing neither the 

 hard growth at l)ase nor the very soft tips. They root 



