253 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
A PRIVATE PARK MADE FROM FOUR BACK YARDS 
CITY IN 1903. 
THE SAME VIEW IN 1905, TWO YEARS AFTER PLANTING. 
REAR OF POUR CITY LOTS IN KANSAS 
One thousand people see your yard 
to the one who sees inside of your 
home, and the first impression of 
your home is the lasting one. We 
often get the impression that people 
are careless or slovenly by the looks 
of their home and its surroundings. 
Some have no love for plants, and 
some believe the expense is so great 
that they cannot afford them. The 
absence of planting can be excused 
to a limited degree, but tin cans, trash 
and waste paper tell the real story 
about the tenants of. the home, no 
matter how fine it is in design and 
construction. We know there are 
“undesirable citizens” in our country, 
and some of us know of undesirable 
neighbors in a neighborhood; some 
who will not improve; they really 
seem to try to make things look hid- 
eous around them. We sometimes 
see these people reformed by the 
example of one citizen who improves, 
who plants things and then gives 
them just a little care, say twice a 
year cultivating and fertilizing them. 
The accompanying photos show 
quick results in home grounds in 
Kansas City, Mo. View No. 1 was 
taken in the spring of 1903, just when 
that cleaning up feeling comes over 
us, and the digging germ gets to work 
in our systems. A few little twigs, 
ten in all, had been set the day before 
and the time of rest from business 
was occupied with shovel and wheel- 
barrow, grading, making and seeding 
a lawn, besides excavating a hole 
which was after called the “Bog Gar- 
den ” The main object of making it 
was to secure good soil for the lawn. 
This hole and a few water worn rocks 
made the beginning of the garden. 
Water loving plants were installed, a 
few hardy perennials added and a 
few wild plants from the woods with 
an addition of a tree or two and a 
half dozen shrubs from the nursery, 
completed the spring work. With 
just a little cultivation and care and 
a little love things grew and photo 
No. 2 shows the same ground in June 
1905, just two years later. This back yard, 
which is in the rear of four city 
homes (three of which are rented to 
good tenants), is like a private park. 
There is something in bloom from 
March 1 st each year until the Novem- 
ber following when Jack Frost reaps 
our crop of posies. 
At some future date I shall be glad 
to give a series of views showing this 
same spot and its variations of bloom 
during one season. 
Sid J. Hare. 
WORK OF THE CIVIC IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATIONS 
As a result of the second year of 
fostering by the Wellesley Village 
Improvement Association, Wellesley, 
Mass., 16 school gardens and 19 home 
gardens have been maintained suc- 
cessfully by Wellesley school chil- 
dren, under the supervision of Miss 
Alice Park. The children began work 
upon these gardens on the first day 
of May. In the school gardens, five 
varieties of flowers and seven of veg- 
etables were planted. In the home 
gardens, no restriction was made re- 
garding -the choice of seeds, the gar- 
dens being planted according to in- 
dividual taste and the amount of land 
available. On account of the dry 
weather the total list of products is 
found, at the end of the season, to be 
smaller than last year; but the gar- 
dening has been greatly enjoyed by 
the children, and numerous applica- 
tions have already been received for 
next summer’s gardens. By way of 
climax to this season, a party was 
held for the gardeners at the home of 
Mrs. C. W. Park, and garden prizes 
were awarded by the village improve- 
ment association through Henry S. 
Adams, instructor in botany in Wel- 
lesley College. 
* * * 
The club women of Charlotte, Mich., 
have organized a home gardening com- 
mittee with a view of protecting' the 
beauty that now exists and adding to it 
every year by the planting of shrubs, 
vines and trees in public places. Last 
year the council voted $50 to buy 
shrubs for the court-house lawn and 
the city school board is in hearty 
sympathy with the movement. Prizes 
are given for the neatest looking back 
yards, and the results have been very 
encouraging. 
* * * 
The Boston City Club has voted to 
hold each year a civic festival with 
awards in the shape of medals for 
achievements in architecture and other 
lines. The first one will take place next 
March. A feature of the occasion will 
be the announcement of awards for the 
best work of the preceding year in 
the way of architecture, monumental 
sculpture, mural decoration and other 
forms of artistic advertising, street fix- 
tures, festival decorations, etc. The 
system adopted is similar to that fol- 
lowed in Paris and Brussels. 
