Park Department 
9 
all times of the year. There are large numbers of splendid 
varieties of plants that we could place in our greenhouses which 
would prove very educational, from a botanical standpoint, 
to the public, and make of the park a much more attractive 
place for the people to spend leisure moments, or students to 
become more conversant with the practical side of botany, and 
this being the case, it will be but a short time when this de- 
partment will have to build a much more commodious con- 
servatory. Experience prompts me to recommend that this be 
placed in a much more conspicuous place than the one at Eden 
Park, as by placing it near a street car line it can be reached 
by persons wishing to study the plants as well as by those wish- 
ing to enjoy the beauty of the blooming flowers and the re- 
freshing display of beautiful green tropical plants. 
Eden Park 
The early part of the year was spent in resurfacing the drives 
and walks in this park. There was placed about 520 cubic 
yards of broken stone and 295 cubic yards of screenings on 
the drives in this park, which were very thoroughly saturated 
and rolled with a heavy steam-roller, using the most modern 
methods of resurfacing possible to obtain a smooth and last- 
ing surface. 
This was followed up with the application of an oil, soap 
and water emulsion to allay the dust, which proved highly sat- 
isfactory, the application being made at a cost of three-tenths 
of a cent per square yard. 
The emulsion used on the park drives is prepared as 
follows : 
100 gallons Ragland District crude oil, 
50 gallons water, 
25 pounds soap. 
The soap and water are boiled vigorously for thirty minutes, 
when the oil is turned into the mixture and boiled until the 
whole has thoroughly coalesced. It is then used as a base, tak- 
ing 10 per centum (or 50 gallons) of the mixture to 500 
gallons of water and applying it to the surface of the road 
