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necessary that sheep and cattle should be allowed to graze in 

 the meadows ; beautiful specimens of fine breeds should be 

 selected, and ample provision for their accommodation should 

 be made in suitable stables, connected with an establishment of 

 which the Dairy building would properly form the most important 

 feature. 



Full details of the progress of the work during the year, and 

 interesting statistics of the public use of the park, will be found in 

 the appended reports of the engineer-in-charge and his principal 

 assistants, Mr. Bogart and Mr. Culyer. 



It will be observed that the public use of the park has been 

 largely greater than it was during the previous year. It may be 

 remarked, also, that a gratifying improvement has occurred in the 

 character of this use ; a much smaller proportion of the visits 

 recorded having been from curiosity to examine a new thing, and 

 a much larger part having been made with a view to family and 

 social recreation. The number of domestic picnic parties was 

 large, and more than two hundred and fifty Sunday schools, and 

 other neighborly and friendly organizations, found suitable ac- 

 commodations for their pleasure excursions in the woods near 

 and opposite to the Dairy. We are strongly convinced that no 

 other element in the design of your work compares in import- 

 ance with that which is calculated to suggest, facilitate, and 

 encourage the choice by the people of the city of simple, tem- 

 perate, healthful, rural and domestic forms of recreation, instead of 

 such as involve a liability to the development of habits of ex- 

 travagance, and a morbid inclination for the unwholesome excite- 

 ments of city life. 



We desire, in conclusion, to draw attention to the unsettled state 

 of the question in regard to the treatment of the land under the con- 

 trol of the Commission on the east side of Flatbush avenue. The 

 fact that it continues to be impracticable to make definite calcula- 

 tions as to the disposition of this ground, has a prejudicial effect in 

 reference to the general development of the park design, and the 

 long continued delay is also attended with many practical dis- 

 advantages. The whole subject was fully discussed in our 

 report made to your board in 1866, prior to the commencement of 

 active operations, and again in that of last year ; and we have sim- 

 ply now to say that the views we have heretofore expressed remain 

 unchanged. Respectfully, 



OLMSTED, VAUX & CO., 

 Landscape Architects and Superintendents. 



