PARK AND CEMETERY 
and LANDSCAPE GARDENING 
ALLIED ARTS PUBLISHING COMPANY, 536 SOUTH CLARK STREET, CHICAGO 
R. J. HAIGHT, President H. C. WHITAKER, Vice-President and General Manager O. H. SAMPLE, Secretary-Treasurer 
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VOL. XXVII. NO. 7 
EDITORIAL 
UNIFORM CEMETERY LAWS 
Too much emphasis cannot be given 
the importance of the subject of uni- 
form cemetery laws discussed by Air. 
Puckett at the Barre convention of 
cemetery superintendents. Many new 
cemetery companies are being organized 
as business ventures, by men who have 
had no experience in cemetery develop- 
ment or management. There is urgent 
need for expert assistance in this work 
and for laws in every state that shall 
insure certain minimum requirements 
of good management and development 
of grounds. Just to emphasize the need 
for legal standards governing the oper- 
ation of cemeteries, we quote a few 
sentences from letters that have recent- 
ly come to Park and Cemetery from 
widely separated sections of the 
country : 
“Our firm is about to market a large 
cemetery in this city and we would 
thank you to furnish us information 
concerning any firms you know of who 
specialize in the organization of selling 
campaigns or who are prepared to han- 
dle the marketing of such a project.” 
“I should greatly appreciate such in- 
formation as you may be able to obtain 
from new cemeteries regarding their 
methods of disposing of their stock.” 
“We have just organized our ceme- 
tery on the park plan, and it is a stock 
company, organized for profit, capital 
stock $300,000. Can you give us the 
names of some other cemeteries that 
operate on the profit plan, and tell us 
the approximate price per square foot 
for which their land is sold?” 
“Have you any information at hand 
as to the average prices, per square 
foot of lots in rural cemeteries, where 
perpetual care is furnished in cities of 
50,000 ?” 
“Can you recommend some person 
whom you know to be reliable and 
capable to put on a lot sales campaign, 
selling in advance of need, and to assist 
in organization?” 
“Our city has recently purchased a 
new cemetery site, and they have re- 
quested me to try and obtain for them 
a set of by-laws and regulations as are 
• required in the larger and modern 
cemeteries.” 
Each of these inquiries is from a dif- 
ferent city, and each of them shows the 
need for expert guidance and the lack 
of knowledge of cemeterj’ affairs. The 
amateur in the cemetery business has 
little conception of the task that con- 
fronts him, and usually conceives his 
problem to be chiefly a matter of fixing 
the price of ground per square foot, 
and selling the largest number of lots 
in the shortest space of time. The 
fundamental principles of cemetery de- 
velopment should not only be furnished 
to new cemetery companies, but it 
should be required by law that these 
principles be observed. The .\ssociation 
of American Cemetery Superintendents 
should use every means in its power to 
secure the framing and passage of uni- 
form cemetery laws in every state. 
FORESTERS IN THE ARMY 
The formation of a second “Forest” 
regiment comprising ten battalions and 
composed of lumbermen and woods- 
workers, who will go to France and 
get out of the forests materials for the 
use of the American, French and Brit- 
ish armies, has been authorized by the 
War Department. Two battalions are 
to be raised at once with the active aid 
of the Forest Service of the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture. It is expected 
that the remaining eight battalions will 
be called for in a short time. Nine 
“service” battalions, made up of labor- 
ers who will be used in connection with 
the Forest regiment, have also been 
authorized and two battalions have been 
ordered raised at once. 
In order to provide for future con- 
tingencies it has been decided to com- 
mission at the present time enough offi- 
cers for other battalions yet to be 
raised. 
A considerable number of captains 
and lieutenants is to be selected in the 
immediate future. The minimum age 
limit for commissioned officers has been 
set at 31. 
A first regiment of woodsmen num- 
bering about 1,200 men and designated 
as the Tenth Engineers (Forest) has 
already been recruited and assembled 
and is now being trained. This regi- 
ment was raised at the request of the 
British government to undertake the 
production in France of crossties, 
bridge, trench, and construction timbers, 
mine props, lumber and other forms of 
wood required in connection with its 
military operations. The landing of the 
SEPTEMBER, 1917 
American expeditionary forces has 
made necessary similar provision for 
their needs, while the French military 
authorities have indicated that some of 
the work incidental to their operations 
might be taken over by woodsmen from 
this country. Decision to raise the new 
and much larger force has followed a 
study of the field of possible usefulness 
to the Allied cause, made by American 
foresters attached to General Pershing's 
staff. 
FOREST FIRES 
With the most serious fire situation 
in a number of years threatening mil- 
lions of feet of western timber, it has 
been necessary for the Forest Service 
to suspend some of its operations in 
order to concentrate all available forces 
in fighting the forest fires. Reports re- 
ceived from the Northwest indicate 
that the situation is more dangerous 
than at any time this year. In Montana 
and northern Idaho two thousand men 
are fighting the flames under the direc- 
ton of the Forest rangers. In these two 
States alone approximately $170,000 has 
already been spent this season, and that 
figure is increasing by approximately 
$15,000 a day. 
In Oregon and Washington valuable 
timber intended to furnish airplane 
stock for the fighting forces of the 
United States and its allies is being 
threatened by the flames. Logging op- 
erations are so badly interfered with 
that several large mills now supplying 
the Government with this class of ma- 
terial may be forced to discontinue op- 
erations. Numerous fires are reported 
as the result of incendiarism. 
The forests have been so dry that 
any fire which occurs is apt to become 
a dangerous conflagration, while high 
winds make it difficult to control even 
the smallest blaze. With such condi- 
tions, it is pointed out, there is need 
to keep all persons out of the woods. 
In order to accomplish this the Gov- 
ernor of Oregon has postponed the 
opening of the hunting season in that 
State. 
In spite of the unusually dangerous 
season, it is stated that until last week 
there has been a comparatively small 
loss of timber on the National Forests, 
private owners having suffered most of 
the damage done. * 
