PARK AND CEMETERY 
AND LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
Vol. XIX. Chicago, December, 1909 No. 10 
Pure Insecticide Bill 
A pure insecticide bill was introduced in both Senate and 
House of the last session of Congress, designed to control 
the purity of insecticides and fungicides, and on about the 
same lines as our pure food and drug laws. The bill was 
introduced at the instance of the Association of Economic 
Entomologists and is supported by the agricultural colleges, 
manufacturers of such chemicals, and, naturally, horticul- 
turists and farmers throughout the country. The use of in- 
secticides and fungicides has become, practically, so neces- 
sarily imperative throughout the country in successful horti- 
cultural and agricultural pursuits, and the purity of the 
chemicals used, so very important, that legislation sufficiently 
drastic to compel purity and punish adulteration should be 
welcomed by all in any way interested. It is a crying shame 
that the paris greens and arsenates of lead should be sub- 
jects for fraud as they so frequently have been, when often- 
times one spraying with adulterated, insecticides may mean 
the loss of a crop of apples or other fruits. All should help 
in this matter, for it is urgent; the bill has again been intro- 
duced in both Houses, and should only need a pronounced 
public opinion to make it law. Write at once to your Con- 
gressman urging his vote and help on H. R. 2218. 
Ng Vg 
A Chicago Park Problem 
A problem in park matters has arisen in Chicago pertain- 
ing to the control and management of the small parks and 
playgrounds. The mayor recently sent a special message to 
the council urging that the park boards be invited to assume 
the burden of maintaining the 48 small parks, 14 playgrounds 
and two bathing beaches, at present managed by the small 
park commission. The cost of these parks, etc., has, accord- 
ing to the mayor’s report on the city’s treasury, become bur- 
densome, and is increasing. Erom $11,500 in 1900, it has 
increased until the small park commission now asks $221,000 
for the year, which of course means that the number of such 
grounds has largely increased ; and more are under considera- 
tion. The regular park boards, so far as heard from, claim 
shortness of funds for their own necessities. For the pres- 
ent the matter rests, the mayor having asked for authority 
from the council to appoint a special committee of five aider- 
men, to take up with the several boards the question of 
having the future control, management and e.xtension of the 
system undertaken by the park boards. The authority was 
granted and committee appointed. 
Vg Ng 
Cremation 
There is evidently an increasing interest being manifested 
in the subject of cremation, if we may judge by the inquiries 
regarding crematoriums which reach us. Every year wit- 
nesses the addition of one or more to the list of those al- 
ready established,- and when cemetery officials in the smaller 
cities begin to consider the question, it must be because of the 
developing idea among their lot-owners and patrons. The 
cremation method of disposing of our dead, so opposed as 
it is to the burial customs of Christian peoples for ages, 
will undoubtedly be of very slow growth, but it is neverthe- 
less growing; and it is quite probable that in a few years 
numbers of our cemeteries will be equipped with crematories 
as single buildings or attached to their chapels as in some of 
the large cemeteries. 
Good Roads and Waterways 
It is well said that good roads and waterways should go 
together, and the states should make a far better record 
than they have in furnishing their citizens with decent roads, 
so that the waterways, in which it is expected that the gov- 
ernment will provide the ‘‘backbone,’’ may fulfill their best 
purpose. This will be emphasized at the Topeka, Kan., con- 
vention of the National Good Roads Association about to 
convene. One of the great difficulties in pushing such proj- 
ects as a comprehensive system is the “inertia” of the farm- 
ers. It is absolutely discouraging to contemplate the amount 
of effort and work necessary to educate the ordinary agri- 
culturist to a knowledge of the economy of good roads ; and 
it is to be urged upon our agricultural colleges that they 
should make special pleadings in their curriculum to uplift 
the growing generation to this plane. A good roads congress 
is to be held in Chicago next summer, and the really good 
cause will be again set forth. 
Ng N? 
Boston Common 
It is a matter of general interest, not only to New Eng- 
landers, but to the country at large, that a share of the 
proceeds of the Parkman bequest of $5,000,000 to the city 
of Boston, will be used to improve historic Boston Common, 
which has been more or less neglected. But the following 
quotation from an editorial in the “Springfield, Mass., Union” 
is very suggestive and should be educative : “Quite as im- 
portant to the people of Boston as any question of improving 
the Common is the general policy that shall be adopted in 
the expenditure of the large income from the Parkman fund. 
The desire that this income should be applied where the 
results can be seen, and not used to swell the amount avail- 
able for political patronage and which is employed to meet 
current expenses, disappearing in the invisible ways which 
consume so much money in a big city, shoulcl be respected.” 
Unfortunately, perhaps, the disposal of the income from the 
ftind rests with the board of aldermen. But the point is 
well taken, and it is to be hoped that Boston will not be 
loaded up with any more graft. 
A Striking Case of Neglect and Graft 
“Human nature is human nature,” which in its weaknesses 
shows quite an average throughout the race, and nothing has 
done more to develop a certain phase of moral turpitude 
than the keen competition in American life and the common 
zest for the almighty dollar. So it is that even among ceme- 
tery officials there crops up an occasional example of that 
beautiful parasite -named “graft,” to call certain dishonest 
practices by no harsher term. It frequently happens, how- 
ever, that failure in duty on the part of others contributes 
largely to financial delinquencies, and had the proper authori- 
ties of Forest Cemetery, Toledo, O., provided for and insisted 
upon regular audits of the cemetery books and receipts, such 
a shortage as $12,711.12 in the accounts of a former superin- 
tendent should have been impossible. And the shortage 
had run without check through a period of eight years. 
Finally a thorough overhauling by the state examiners fixed 
the shortage at the above amount, and restitution was made 
by the accused which legally obviated further proceedings. 
But the public expose of so long a period of irregularities 
which covered lot sales, interments, foundations, lot care, 
etc., etc., ought to point lessons enough to all concerned on 
the necessity of protecting all interests against the apparently 
overwhelming temptation of graft. 
