30 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 
WILKES-BARRE'S (PA.) PARK DEVELOP- 
MENT.* 
f HAVE observed with much pleasure and satisfaction 
that the general public is practically unanimous in 
their praise and support of the parks, playgrounds and 
park extensions, and many heretofore opposed to parks 
have since come out as the strongest advocates in 
their favor. 
The old Park Commission, with Major I. A. Stearns 
as president, together with the present city commis- 
sioners, the Chamber of Commerce, through Presi- 
dent A. C. Campbell, with officers and committees, and 
last but not least our daily papers, are all alive to the 
great opportunities of the City of Wilkes-Barre's 
parks, playgrounds and tree work, all knowing that 
with comparatively small effort and outlay we can 
create one of the finest park systems in the country. 
We are at the threshhold of a campaign for civic 
improvements. The department with the general 
public are not only anxious and eager, but very en- 
thusiastic for park extensions, and there are excep- 
tionally fine park sites in every section of the city, 
both within and without its boundary lines. 
A movement should be started among property 
holders that are owners of unsightly lots in the city 
to remove old fences and board shanties, of which we 
have so many on valuable corner lots and in conspicu- 
ous sections of the city. These lots should be plowed 
up and put in grass seed, if nothing else. On these 
lots the obnoxious weeds have been a great source of 
complaint, spreading hay fever and other diseases, es- 
pecially during the months of August, September and 
October. 
It is to be hoped that a larger and more com- 
mensurate appropriation will be made for street and 
park tree planting. We have but $1,000 per annum for 
this purpose, hardly sufficient to repair storm dam- 
ages. The sick trees will not cure themselves, so it is 
necessary in order to provide spraying, cleaning, re- 
moving and planting to have not less than $2,000 
per year. 
It may be interesting to note that the new green- 
house contains many specimen show plants, with thou- 
sands of others which will be used for planting beds 
and borders. Our palmhouse collection, and our trees 
and shrubs of the nursery have attracted many visi- 
tors to the North River Common. We also note that 
many botanically-inclined citizens and visitors alike 
have asked for information pertaining to trees and 
plants. 
The shade tree nursery contains many thousands of 
valuable specimens of trees, shrubs and plants. These 
have cost the city practically nothing. During the past 
few years only $625 have been expended for trees and 
shrubs ; the rest has been donated. The total value of 
our stock of plants and trees on hand is approximately 
$8,500. 
For neighborhood parks in different sections of the 
city our future aims should be to acquire a sufficient 
area for each to make them a combined park and play- 
ground, embracing all necessary facilities for comfort, 
convenience and enjoyment, such as a field house with 
spacious sheltering porches, lockers and shower baths, 
pergolas, sand bins, wading pool and tennis courts. If 
space permits it, a baseball ground, running track and 
an out-door iron frame gymnasia apparatus should be 
included. Such a park would be in harmony with the 
latest modern ideas for recreation and welfare work. 
The City of Wilkes-Barre fortunately began its 
work for parks in time to establish improvements 
within the city, rather than being forced to begin out- 
side ; therefore large areas that might otherwise have 
been used for indifferent purposes have been saved for 
beautiful residential sections and parks. Therefore, 
our citizens owe a debt of gratitude to the donors of 
park lands and park commissioners, who, through wise 
foresight, have made a park system possible. 
In conclusion I would state that the work of beauti- 
fying home grounds should receive more attention 
than it does. Some years ago I wrote a series of ar- 
ticles for prominent newspapers, when I was told by 
florists and landscape gardeners that I was giving 
away the secrets of a business, but I have invariably 
replied that there should be no secrets in attaining the 
beautiful and, to paraphrase my old friend Admiral 
Schley's memorable epigram : "There is beauty enough 
for us all." To foster the good and true and the 
beautiful is every person's duty, and I have been only 
too glad to offer suggestions to the readers of my ar- 
ticles, through which we may make suburban homes 
and farmsteads lovely, and even improve the small 
yard of the city homes. 
For the artistic planting of home grounds, shrubs 
and perennials are indispensable. Equally indispens- 
able is it that care should be taken to arrange them as 
to size and general effect ; for instance, irregular bor- 
ders for screening objectionable features should be 
planted with low-growing kinds in the foreground, 
medium size in the centre, and the taller ones in the 
rear, with color effect and blooming season thought- 
fully considered. 
The first cost is the only cost in planting shrubbery. 
This is worth remembering. The shrubs increase in 
size and beauty each year, and it is a delight to ob- 
serve the development as they do grow and bloom. 
Being a lover of nature, I must say that my percep- 
tions and feelings are somewhat jarred when I look 
upon opportunities that people could take advantage 
of to beautify their homes, and will not attempt to do 
anything besides grass seeding. 
Those who have the best chances to make their 
homes beautiful either will not do it, or they do not 
know how to do it ; or, if they know how, keep putting 
off the performance from time to time and let val- 
uable years slip away from them without embellishing 
their home grounds. 
Extracts from an address before the Civic League of Wilkes-Barre, 
Pa., by C. L. Seybold, Superintendent of Parks of that city. 
WANTED— FOLK NAMES FOR FLOWERS 
P. JENSEN, in a talk before the Park Superintend- 
ents in San Francisco, last August, advocated 
"folk names" for flowers, saying that "we must have 
more common names, more folk names for the multitude 
of flowering plants in our national parks. By a folk 
name I mean a name that has been given to the plant by 
the folk, bv the people who have lived amongst the plants 
and know them from their point of view. 
"Of course, the botanist has named all of the plants in 
the parks of which he has knowledge. He has for accu- 
racy given them scientific names, but these very rarely 
make an appeal to the people at large. When once you 
have folk names, then the interest of travelers in the 
mountain flower fields will be very much greater. Take 
'mountain misery,' for example, the name of a plant 
which is found in the Yosemite Park, and the Sequoi 
Park. That name at once gives the 'flavor of the soil'; 
so does Steer's Head, Buck Brush, Mahala Mats and 
Mustang Clover There are a few such names, but many 
