P A R K A iX D CEMETERY. 
115 
Erick and steel vaults are not recommend- 
■ed, although their use is not absolutely 
prohibited, for the reason that brick vaults 
seldom keep water out, and steel vaults 
rust out in the ground, in a comparatively 
short time. The price of stone and slate 
vaults is prohibiti\ e, and they are generally 
impossible to construct on short notice. 
Concrete vaults, when well made, are air, 
water, vermin and root-proof, cheap, easily 
handled, and as lasting as stone. Prices 
■on \aulted graves on application. 
Mounds. — While there seems to be quite 
a popular demand for the square or "box” 
mound, experience has taught us that they 
are not very desirable or practical, and 
certainly do not add to the general attrac- 
tiveness of the well-kept and modern ceme- 
tery landscape. The frost of winter and 
the heat of summer, as well as heavy 
showers, always tend to crumble and de- 
stroy them, so that they have to be remade 
•every year in order to look nice. The sods 
on the sides always die, the mound is hard 
to keep clean and nice looking, and always 
tend to have a ragged and weedy appear- 
ance unless sheared by hand one or two 
times a week. Flowers never do as well 
■on a hox-mound as they do on a lower 
grave, on account of drying out quicker. 
The box-mound, therefore, while permit- 
ted, is not recommended. 
The ideal mound is a low, oval shaped, 
grass-mound, not over four inches high in 
the center, or low enough to allow the 
mowing machine to pass over it easily. 
For those desiring flowers on their 
graves, the best plan is to convert the 
grave-mound into a low flower bed, that is 
to sa}-, excavate to the depth of six inches 
below the surface of the lot, right over the 
grave, and fill in with good garden soil, 
flush with the surface of the .ground. This 
gives the best results for growing flowers 
as the soil below the surface retains its 
moisture much longer than the soil in a 
mound. 
On the whole, high mounds, unless con- 
stantly repaired, give the best kept ceme- 
tery an ugly ‘‘country graveyard’’ appear- 
ance and not at all in keeping with the 
highest ideals of modern cemetery art. We 
believe that, where there is a marker erect- 
ed, the mound should be leveled, or be so 
low as to merely indicate the grave, and 
sodded over, so as to preserve as much as 
possible an unbroken lawn. 
Leveling mounds and sodding over the 
spot will he done free of charge on appli- 
cation. 
When a grave sinks or collapses from 
any cause, the Cemetery Corporation will 
fill in with dirt, but under no circumstances 
does it hold itself liable to restore or re- 
place the sod, if any, that was on the 
mound before it collapsed. 
Prices for sodding are as follows ; 
Adult's Box-Mound $1.50 
Child's Box-l\Iound 1.00 
Adult's Oval-Mound 1.00 
Child's Oval-Mound 75 
Filling garden soil in level adult grave. .75 
Filling garden soil in level child grave. .50 
Alaking flower beds — price on application. 
Leveling mound and sodding over free. 
As good, living sod is not always easily 
obtainable, the Cemetery Corporation re- 
serves the right to execute such work when 
deemed expedient, or when the weather 
and conditions of sod permits. 
All markers, monuments, mausoleums 
and urns must be placed on foundations. 
All foundations are to be made by the 
Cemeter\' Corporation upon written order 
of the dealer or contractor, and signed by 
the lot owner. Upon receipt of the order, 
the work will be executed whenever most 
expedient, and without unnecessary delay. 
The price is 40 cents per cubic foot. 
Minimum charge is $2.50. 
The depth of foundations are to he on 
the average of 4%* feet for monuments and 
2 feet for markers and urns. Larger monu- 
ments and mausoleums as specified. 
Xo foundation may he built higher than 
1 inch below the lowest point of the sur- 
face. 
All work will be charged to dealer or 
contractor unless otherwise expressly stipu- 
lated in writing by the lot owner. If the 
credit of dealer or contractor is had, the 
Cemetery Corporation reserves the right 
of refusing to build foundation until charge 
has been paid. 
Designs, plans and specifications of all 
The front cover illustration shows a 
photographic reproduction of the massive 
entrance gates and fence designed, built 
and erected for the Highland Cemetery, 
Ypsilanti, Mich. 
This fence and gates were designed 
and built by The Stewart Iron Works Co., 
Cincinnati, O., to conform with the natural 
surroundings and broad recessed elevation 
of the entrance to the grounds. A very 
good idea of the massiveness and construc- 
tion of these gates and fence can be had 
from the following description : 
The double drive gates are 14 feet wide 
and 10 feet high. Horizontal top bar of 
gates is 2 inches square, upright bars %- 
inch square, all other horizontal rails 2x%- 
inch solid iron ; bottom rail is 3x2-inch 
angle iron. These gates are, hung on eye 
and socket hinges with 2-inch square hinge 
liars, and so designed that they swing per- 
fectly free at all times without the least 
The Board of Park Commissioners of 
N^ew Bedford, Mass., has recently issued 
their annual report in relation to the main- 
tenance, conditions and requirements ol 
the department for the year 1916. The 
financial report presents the condition of 
their resources as follows : Appropriation 
by the city council $33,000. Of this amount 
markers, monuments, mausoleums and urns 
must first be submitted to the cemetery 
officials to be examined and passed upon 
by them, before such work shall be al- 
lowed to be erected. 
No exact duplication of any monument 
or mausoleum already erected in the ceme- 
tery shall be allowed. 
The Cemetery Corporation reserves the 
right of refusing or prohiliiting the erec- 
tion of any marker, monument, mausoleum 
or urn if for an\- reason they are objec- 
tionable, whether regards size, material, 
design or structure, or if faultily con- 
structed, or if made of inferior material, 
or if not true to specifications, or not in 
compliance with the rules of the cemetery. 
The proper location of marker, monu- 
ment, mausoleum or urn shall be deter- 
mined by the cemetery authorities. How- 
ever, they are always glad to consult cvith 
the lot owners first, and are always willing 
to accede to their wishes whenever rea- 
sonable and expedient. 
Not more than one monument or mauso- 
leum shall be erected on any individual 
plot, whether this plot consist of a lot, a 
fraction of a lot, or more than one lot. 
No marker, monument or mausoleum 
shall be made of any other material than 
granite or marble, of recognized high 
grade, containing no flaws or weak spots. 
possibility of gates getting out of align- 
ment. 
The walk gates are a design of the same 
pattern as the drive gates, and are similar- 
ly constructed and hung. They are 7 feet 
high, with a clearance of 4 feet. All gates 
are equipped with the Stewart patent locks 
and fasteners. 
The fence for the front of the cemetery- 
furnished with these entrance gates is rnade 
in panels approximately 8 feet long and 6 
feet high ; the horizontal rails are 2x% 
channels ; pickets are %-inch square, set 
diagonally and spaced 5 inches on centers. 
At the end of each panel a heavy adjust- 
able Stewart patent line post is used. 
The design and entire scheme of con- 
struction of this fence are such that they 
required the careful attention of a factory 
with modern equipment, such as the Stew- 
art Iron Works Co.'s plants. 
$23,402.72 was e.xpended for labor and $9,- 
595.05 for materials, leaving a balance of 
$2.23 unexpended. Improvement work 
upon the parks has been of a very limited 
amount although the efforts of the board 
so far as the finances would allow have 
been satisfactory and everything has been 
done within the means of the board to 
The Cover Illustration 
PARK NEWS. 
