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I American Association of Park Superintendents 
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
EMIL T. MISCHE, President, Portland, Ore. R. W. COTTERILL, Sec.-Treas., Seattle, Washington. 
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1916 CONVENTION DATE. 
The Executive Committee must in the immediate future 
decide upon the exact date for the holding of our next an- 
nual convention at New Orleans, and in this connection 
would like to have an expression of opinion from as many 
members as possible in order to accommodate the greatest 
possible number. 
While October has been tentatively accepted as the ap- 
proximate date, this was upon the presumption that the 
heat would be oppressive prior to that time, but Mr. Allen 
writes us from New Orleans that August weather in that 
city is no more to be feared than in any other city of the 
Middle West at the same season. While early October 
would be preferable, August or September would be agree- 
able aside from the discomfort of traveling in hot weather. 
The Society of American Florists will hold their convention 
at Houston, Tex., the third week in August, and by having 
our convention the following week, it would probably be a 
convenience to many who would like to attend both con- 
ventions and otherwise might pass up one or the other. 
As a matter of precedent it is a fact that our conventions 
for the past nine years have been held in August, and the 
fiscal year of the association closes on August 1. .Experi- 
ence has shown that the most suitable part of the month 
for our conventions is between the 10th and 25th, permitting 
members to be at home on the first of the month, when 
many have pay rolls, bill vouchers, monthly reports, etc., 
to get out during the first week of the month. .If the 
S. A. F. convention date is to be disregarded, September 
might be a pleasing date, say about the 20th. Park activi- 
ties in many of our cities close on Labor Day, and many 
might feel that after the active season has closed would 
be a better time to get away. 
On the other hand, to be sure of more comfortable travel- 
ing and cool weather for the session, October would be the 
safest date, if agreeable to the majority of our members. 
With these things in mind, an expression from the mem- 
bership is desirable and will be of great assistance to the 
Executive Committee in solving the problem, therefore 
every member is urged to at once drop a card or letter to 
the secretary, expressing a choice of the following sug- 
gestive dates: August 22-23-24; September 19-20-21; 
October 10-11-12. 
PERSONAL AND OTHERWISE. 
Gustave X. Amryhn, of New Haven, former president of the 
association, was unfortunate enough to be in the wreck on the 
New Haven Railroad at Millford, Conn., February 22, when nine 
persons were killed and 44 injured. 
Mr. Amryhn was among those injured, having some teeth 
knocked out, his leg jammed and otherwise bruised, his injuries 
being painful but not serious. 
Chas. K. Holmburg, of Grand Junction, Colo., now has it all 
over the other members in the matter of title. Mr. Holmburg 
has heretofore struggled along with the standard title of superin- 
tendent of parks, but when Grand Junction took up one of the 
fifty-seven varieties of commission form of government, Mr. 
Holmburg emerged with the title of "Commissioner of Civic 
Beauty." Not so bad for a city of less than 10.000 population. 
Perhaps the elevation (4.5S7 feet above sea level) has something 
to do with such high ideals. 
J. II. Prost, city forester of Chicago and superintendent for the 
Special Park Commission, is the author of "Trees and Lawns for 
Streets," a 30-page illustrated pamphlet, which while issued prim- 
arily for the benefit of the citizens of Chicago, is brim full of 
practical information which any park man or forester could make 
use of. Mr. Prost is recognized as one of the leading tree experts 
of the country, and this pamphlet is a part of his campaign for 
the bcautification of street parking strips in Chicago. 
Mr. Prost will no doubt be glad to supply a copy of this pamph- 
let to such of our members who care to apply to him for same, 
without cost. 
O. D. Arp, for the past eight years superintendent of parks at 
Sioux City. Iowa, has resigned and will engage in the nursery 
and landscaping business with his father at Mobile, Ala. Mr. Arp 
will be succeeded at Sioux City by his former assistant, James 
Barton. Mr. Arp lias been an active member of the association, 
and has attended several conventions. He states that his interest 
in the organization will continue, that he expects to be with us 
at the New Orleans convention and he intends to get us some 
members in the South. Our best wishes go with him in his new 
venture, and as he is a young man he will probably return to 
public park work at some future time. 
Wood Posey, of Terra Haute, Ind., formerly secretary of the 
Park Commission of that city, who with Superintendent Frank 
Brubeck, lost out two years ago on account of a political up- 
heaval, is now on the job again as secretary. 
Mr. Posey has retained his membership in the association and 
will no doubt be with us at the New Orleans convention, and will 
bring with him a new member, the new superintendent, J. E. 
Fitzpatrick. 
R. W. Curtis, whose name appears in our membership roster as 
assistant superintendent of the Arnold Arboretum at Boston, is 
no longer connected witli that institution, but is now Assistant 
Professor of Landscape Art at Cornell University at Ithaca, N. Y. 
Bulletin No. 361, of that institution, is a nicely illustrated 144- 
page publication, edited by Mr. Curtis and E. G. Davis, and has a 
great fund of information regarding planting and landscape de- 
velopment. It is entitled "The Home Grounds," and is well worth 
having on file. Mr. Curtis will no doubt supply without cost 
copies of this booklet, to such of our members as may send to 
him for same. 
Vice-President Eugene Goebel, of Grand Rapids, Mich., has come 
forward with a mighty good suggestion of a program feature for 
our next convention. 
It is that members should have a few lantern slides made show- 
ing some new work or development during the year at their city 
and bring same to the convention, when on one of the evenings, 
they will all be shown in succession, each member explaining his 
own slides. This will give every city a chance to exploit its new 
work for the benefit of the others, and will be far more helpful 
than giving over the entire time to a complete series from one 
city. Keep this in mind and have a few slides (standard size) 
made up, which will show some new structure or development of 
the vear. 
Fifty new members for the New Orleans convention is to be 
the slogan of your officers and as soon as the convention date is 
set, the secretary is going to get busy on all the prospects he can 
get a line on, particularly in cities of the South. The new appli- 
cation blanks are ready and will be sent to all members who 
apply. If you will send to the secretary the name of a park 
executive of some city who you know is not a member of the 
association, he will follow the matter up with a letter of informa- 
tion, an invitation to the convention, application blank, etc. If 
you have not the time to deal with an applicant yourself, just 
supply the secretary with the names of prospects and he will 
go after them and keep after them. 
PRESIDENT'S REVIEW OF ANNUAL REPORTS, ETC. 
Fall River, Mass. — 1914 annual report mentions two items as 
parts of Superintendent Lathrop's report, worthy of special notice, 
one being the enjoyment afforded by an old fashioned garden of 
perennials at South Park and the other his comment on play- 
grounds. Air. Lathrop states: 
"A systematic arrangement should be made whereby all play 
features, tennis courts, etc., should be kept apart from ornamental 
features. They cannot mix and in your superintendent's opinion, 
one is as important as the other. A tennis court in the middle of 
a neat lawn and surrounded by shrubbery, may make an ideal 
court, but it does not belong there. Such grounds must be kept 
either as one thing or as the other, but they cannot be both. I do 
not wish to imply by this that all playgrounds should receive no 
ornamentation whatever, but that the two features be arranged so 
that our parks will not become all one or the other. 
(Continued on page 149.) 
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