DEPARTMENT OF PARKS. 175 



At Washington, Carroll and Bedford Parks the only work done 

 was to maintain them in good condition. 



Cooper Park, a new park of ten acres, was enclosed by an 

 iron picket fence. The work of grading and filling is now going 

 on. Two sides have been plowed and pulverized for planting 

 belts of trees. The plan proposed for this is to have a large open 

 grassy space in the centre, enclosed within a belt of trees, with a 

 walk meandering through the tree belt. 



This piece of ground contains some trees, but they are in an 

 unhealthy condition, probably from the effects of the fumes from 

 the chemical works adjoining. More than half of the trees were 

 found to be dead before the summer ended, and the remainder 

 will soon follow. The only fairly healthy trees to be seen in the 

 neighborhood are a few paper mulberries {Broussonetia papyri- 

 fera). It looks as though the question of growing trees in this 

 park is a problem yet to be solved. 



In Sunset, Red Hook (Twelfth Ward), and Canarsie Parks and 

 Coney Island Concourse, police protection only has been given, 

 as nothing in the way of improvement has been done, excepting 

 the foundation for a retaining wall at Sunset Park. 



The Parade Ground, a popular playground of forty acres of 

 clear grass sward, has been maintained in good condition. Thou- 

 sands of games have been played on its broad surface, and hun- 

 dreds of thousands of people have enjoyed its privileges. 



WORK ON OCEAN PARKWAY. 



Early in the spring the old cycle path was re-surfaced with 

 limestone screenings, one inch in thickness. 



The west drive was macadamized and curbed from the Park 

 entrance to Kings Highway, a distance of over three miles; the 

 construction being of five inches of limestone macadam of two to 

 three-inch cubes, with sand binder, and a wearing surface of two 

 inches in thickness of two-inch cube trap rock, with six inches of 

 Roa Hook screenings. This work was done under a contract with 

 Michael J. Dady. 



The increasing popularity of the old bicycle path and its crowd- 

 ed condition led to measures being adopted for the construction of 



