224 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
ASKED AND ANSWERED 
An exchange cf experience on practical matters by our readers. You 
are inviitd to contribute questions and answers to this department 
Perpetual Care of Mausoleums 
Editor Asked and Ansd. ; What sum 
should be set aside for the perpetual care 
of a mausoleum whose value is $5,000?’' — 
L. G., N. J. 
Nobody can answer this question off 
hand. It all depends on the material, on 
the construction, on the interior arrange- 
ment, on the present condition of the 
structure, etc., etc. These things must be 
considered and it would be foolish for any- 
body to suggest a sum off hand. 
FRANK EURICH, 
Detroit, i\Iich. 
Supt. Woodlawn Cem. 
The query of your correspondent as to 
"What sum should be set aside for the 
Perpetual Care of a mausoleum whose 
value is $5,(100.00," presents a very complex 
problem which every cemetery superintend- 
ent who has given the subject any consid- 
eration realizes is difficult of solution 
with any degree of accuracy. We have as 
yet little data on which to base a cal- 
culation of the lifetime of these modern 
structures in our climate and the amount 
of work and expense their maintenance 
may involve. 
It is evident, too, that these factors are 
\ariable, according to location, style of de- 
sign, the nature of the material used, the 
manner of construction and the care exer- 
cised in workmanship. 
Endowment based on a fi.xed percentage 
of the cost of the structure would not ap- 
ply equabh' in all cases. Each must be 
considered separately according to condi- 
tions. 
The only plan wdiich seems practicable 
and safe to adopt is that based on the esti- 
mated work which may be required in 
pointing, cleaning, etc., to keep the struc- 
ture in proper order and repair, providing, 
too, for rebuilding at some future period, 
which the ravages of climate and time will 
inevitably necessitate. This, unfortunately 
is almost wholly a matter of conjecture, but 
in this way we may arrive at a fairly 
accurate average annual expense and the 
endowment necessary to provide the re- 
quired income. 
On the supposition that the mausoleum 
in question is of good, modern construc- 
tion, I would suggest a fund of $1,500.(10 as 
sufficient to provide for its proper main- 
tenance. 
Milwaukee. Wis. James Currie. 
Supt. Forest ITome Cem. 
This question is open to discussion and 
circumstances would govern the correct 
answer. It would depend upon the con- 
truction of the building, the material used, 
the location and how clean they desire to 
have the building, both exterior and in- 
terior. If the mausoleum is of high grade 
granite and the interior constructed of sub- 
stantial materials, a design of good con- 
struction, w’e should say that five per cent 
of the cost should take care of same. 
If the building is properly erected all' 
that really should be necessary would be 
to have it re-pointed every year or two. 
Of course, every five or six years the in- 
terior could be washed out and the exte- 
rior cleaned. The pointing, provided it was 
given attention each year could easily be 
done in a day's time, and if a skilled me- 
chanic could be procured locall_\-, at a 
maximum cost of $8.(10 to $10.00. Ehider 
unfavorable circumstances, however, it 
should not cost over $25.00 to have a small 
structure re-pointed and cleaned every twm 
years. 
Of course, if tb.e mausoleum is of some 
material other than granite, and the plan- 
ning of same not practical, it would be 
pretty hard to determine just what sum 
should be put aside for the perpetual care. 
Some cemeteries require a deposit of 10 
per cent, while others are satisfied with a 5 
per cent deposit. 
Buffalo, N. Y. McDonnell & Sons. 
If the superintendent who inquires re- 
garding the perpetual care of a mausoleum, 
wdll look up his file of Park & Cemetery, 
he will find in the number for October, 
lOlti, my views on the question of perpet- 
ual care, set forth more extensively than 
they can be in a letter. 
The question of the amount paid for a 
mausoleum is not the only one to he con- 
sidered in estimating the amount needed 
for its perpetual care. It may be cheaper 
to erect a building of small pieces of stone 
and yet the amount needed for its care 
would be larger than a more expensive, 
well constructed structure. 
contract made recently for a mauso- 
leum of about this value was estimated 
according to the under noted details : 
Re-setting stonework, $(100.00 in 50 
years $12.00 
Leading, $00.00 in 20 years 3.00 
Washing outside from staging, 
$20.00 in 2 years 10.00 
Washing floors and walls each 
spring fl.OO 
Dusting and sweeping once a week 
for 9 months and once everj^ 2 
weeks for 3 months 20.00 
$54.00 
Endowment necessary to provide 
for annual expense at 3 per 
cent $1,800.00 
J. C. Scorgie, 
Supt. Mt. Auburn Cem. 
Cambridge, Mass. 
White Pine or Red Pine 
Editor Asked and Answered : For sev- 
eral years we have been setting out white 
pine and desire to ask your advice as to 
whether to continue to do so or to set out 
red pine. Is it the opinion of those best 
able to judge that the w'hite pine blister 
disease is likely in time to destroy all our 
white pine? If so, we desire to he on the 
safe side and plant the red pine. We 
shall be very thankful for your advice. — 
W. C., Mass. 
We do not think it wise to recommend 
the planting of wdiite pine for forestry pur- 
poses. The foresters themselves are rec- 
ommending discontinuing its planting. This 
was especially mentioned at the American 
Foresters’ Convention held in Washing- 
ton early this spring. They recommend the 
red pine as being the most satisfactory 
to use linder present conditions. It looks 
as though the white pine blister rust has 
come to stay. 
Thomas B. IMeehan Co. 
Dresher, Pa. 
As you probably well know the wdrite 
pine blister rust can not be transferred 
from one pine to another. Its spread 
among white pine is dependent upon an 
intermediate host. The only way the dis- 
ease can spread is by spores developed on 
currant and gooseberry plants in the vicin- 
ity of the pines. In other words, the pine 
transfers the disease to currants and 
gooseberries, and the currants and goose- 
berries in turn transfer it back to the 
pine, but as before stated, it cannot be 
transferred from pine to pine nor can it 
be transferred from currant to currant. If 
you have no currants or gooseberries, or 
other ribes within three or four hundred 
yards of your pine plantation, it is very- 
improbable that your pines would get the 
disease. 
The Alassachusetts State Forester, Frank 
W. Rane, is strongly in favor of continu- 
ing planting white pine. I am quoting 
from one of his recent reports ; "The dan- 
ger from currant and pine rust is not suffi- 
cient to discourage prospective planters of 
the white pine. It is to be hoped that 
the average Massachusetts citizen will go 
ahead planting white pine as enthusiasti- 
cally as ever, leaving its protection from 
disease to trained officials with authority 
to destroy all of the disefised white pines, 
currants, and gooseberries. Massachusetts 
does not concede for one minute that we 
are going to lose our white pines from any 
diagnosis that her state forester has made 
thus far.” 
There is no tree that can take the place 
of the white pine. Many people are advo- 
cating the planting of red pine in place of 
the white pine. The red pine is a splendid 
tree, hardy, grows rapidljq and is pictur- 
esque in maturity. However, it should not 
be planted in the shade, therefore, it is not 
as adaptable as the white pine. The wood 
of the red pine is not as valuable as the 
white pine. Neither is it as valuable 
for backgrounds for landscape pic- 
tures and for general landscape plant- 
ing. The red pine comes the nearest 
to meeting the qualities of the white pine. 
