PARK AND CEMETERY. 
39 
out of school garden experience, is the 
organization of branches of the Home 
Gardening Association in a number of 
schools to give the individual child such 
information and stimulus as he needs. 
Flower shows were held at 43 schools 
— a larger number than ever before. This 
annual occasion has taken its place as 
one of the gala events of school life, and 
has become a general rallying time for 
the people of the neighborhood. 
The efforts of the Committee on the 
Cultivation of Vacant Lots were direc- 
ted this year towards the extension of 
the work. Seventeen lots have been gar- 
dened as compared with seven a year 
ago. All of the common vegetables were 
grown and among the gardeners were 
ministers, professors, carpenters, wid- 
ows and school children. All of the 
gardens were well cared for and very 
productive. From a financial standpoint 
they paid. 
The lectures given in the Cleveland 
schools, and before organizations both 
in and out of the city, were continued 
during the year. The lectures given 
by Miss Louise Klein Miller were of 
an extremely practical nature and were 
accompanied by stereopticon views il- 
lustrating every phase of the work. 
A formal closing of the season’s work- 
in the school gardens was held Septem- 
ber 28 at the Rosedale school, where an 
exhibition and an interesting program 
was arranged. The report can be ob- 
tained from Miss Lucy B. Buell, Secre- 
tary. 501 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland. 
AN ORDINARY BACK YARD BEFORE IMPROVEMENT. 
THE CHANGE M.\DE IN THE SAME YARD BY PLANTING. 
REGULATION OF NIAGARA POWER UNDER NEW ACT 
The decision recently promulgated 
under the Burton act, by Secretary of 
War Taft regarding government regu- 
lation of the utilization of the hydrau- 
lic power of Niagara Falls, has put a 
very effectiv-e stop to the alarming en- 
croachments which the various power 
companies were making on the vol- 
ume of the upper Niagara River, says 
the Scientific American. The decision 
allows the various existing companies 
on the American side to draw from 
the upper river volumes of water 
which are practically the same as 
those which are now utilized, and are 
permitted, as a maximum amount, by 
the provisions of the Burton act. The 
Niagara Falls Power Company may 
take 8,600 cubic feet per second, and 
the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power & 
Manufacturing Company is restricted 
to 6,500 cubic feet per second. Power 
generated on the Canadian side may 
be importecl by the various companies 
to a total of 160,000 horse-power. The 
secretary of war may revoke these 
permits at his pleasure, and in any 
case, in the absence of any further 
legislation by congress, they expire 
on June 29, 1909. Under these per- 
mits, there' may be drawn from the 
upper river a total amount of 15,100 
cubic feet per second on the Ameri- 
can side, all of which is now being 
taken, and on the Canadian side they 
cover about 12,000 feet per second, of 
which last amount it is likely that 
about 5,000 cubic feet per second will 
be drawn during the three years cov- 
ered by the permits. The volume of 
water passing over the Falls is esti- 
mated to be about 220,000 cubic feet 
per second; and as the total amount 
that will be drawn off during the com- 
ing three years is only about 20,000 
cubic feet per second, it will be seen 
that the action of the United States 
government' has effectively checked 
the desecration of the Falls, at least 
as far as American control of them is 
concerned, before it had proceeded to 
a point where the beauty and majesty 
of the Falls were seriously or notice- 
ably impaired. 
Secretary Taft has done his work 
thoroughly; for not only is the further 
withdrawal of w-ater to be prevented, 
but steps are to be taken to mitigate, 
if not remove, the unsightly condi- 
tions on the American side of the can- 
yon below the Falls, the effect of 
which upon the sightseer is described 
as being that produced by looking at 
the backyard of a house negligently 
kept. A committee has been ap- 
pointed to consider the question of 
restoring the American side of the 
canyon at this point, so as to put it 
once more in harmony with the Falls 
and other surroundings, and conceal, 
as far as possible, the raw commer- 
cial 'isi'icct that now offends the eye. 
