PARK AND CEMETERY 
284 
Annual reports or extracts from thcniy historical sketches^ 
descriptive circulars^ photographs of improvements or dts- 
tinctive features are requested for use in this departments 
Chicago’s park needs and the extensive additions to park 
area proposed by the outer belt park commission were dis- 
cussed at a recent meeting at the Municipal Museum rooms 
in that city by leaders of the park building movement. 
Dwight H. Perkins, member of the city small parks commis- 
sion, presided, and in an address illustrated with stereopticon 
views showed the extent of the proposed outer belt of parks 
and the beauties of scenery in the several tracts proposed to 
be acquired. Henry G. Foreman, president of the outer belt 
parks commission, urged support of the movement to create 
the chain of parks in the Des Plaines Valley, the Calumet 
region and the Skokie Valley. He described the new law 
passed by the legislature for the creation of an outer forest 
preserve district, whereby, on the petition of i,ooo voters 
within the district to be created, the question of organizing 
such district shall be submitted to the voters at the next 
general election. “The final task for the outer belt park 
commission,” said Mr. Foreman, “is to take the necessary 
steps to have the question of creating a forest preserve sub- 
mitted to the people at the fall election and to work for a 
favorable vote on the proposition. This accomplished, the 
matter of appointing the commission to create and construct 
and administer rests with the governor.” 
He * 
An ordinance to transfer the reconstruction of the World’s 
Fair grounds and that part of Forest park which the Fair 
occupied from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition company 
to the city of St. Louis was introduced June 6 in both 
branches of the 'municipal assembly of that city. Provision 
is made for the payment of $100,000 to the city by the World’s 
Fair Company, all of which shall be expended in restoring 
the park. The preamble to the bill recites that the city placed 
restrictions on the Exposition Company which required it 
to remove all buildings and structures on the Forest Park 
site, including the main art buildings. In order that the city 
may retain the art buildings and such other buildings as 
the park commissioner may desire, the preamble suggests 
that the restoration had better be placed under the direction 
of the city. It also states that the World’s Fair Company 
has indicated a willingness to surrender immediate possession 
of the site and cash to cover the cost of restoration. Pro- 
vision is made for the permanent retention of the main art 
building, the press building and the cement house, all trees, 
shrubs and flowers in the nursery on the exposition grounds, 
all road material and such other property as may be agreed 
upon between the park commissioner and the company. The 
board of public improvements shall accept possession of the 
property immediately after the ordinance becomes effective. 
Acceptance of the ordinance will relieve the exposition com- 
pany of all bonds and obligations which it is now under to 
the city. Possession by the city shall be subject to the rights 
of the Chicago House Wrecking Company in the removal of 
buildings and structures on the World’s Fair grounds. The 
exposition company shall transfer to the city the services of 
George E. Kessler as consulting landscape architect, at a 
salary to remain the same as he is now receiving from the 
company. This service shall not be for a longer term than 
one year from the date the ordinance goes into effect. The 
$100,000 for the restoration of the park is to be paid within 
ten days after the passage of the ordinance. 
^ sjs 
FROM THE ANNUAL REPORTS. 
The annual report of the Park Commissioners of Wor- 
cester, Mass., for 1904, tells of a number of permanent im- 
provements among which is the erection of a commodious 
shelter and lookout in the north grove at Lake park. This 
structure is in a wooded section of the park on an elevation 
85 feet above the lake level and commands a fine view of 
Lake Quinsigamond. Superintendent Hemingway reports 
the enlargement of the deer preserve in this park and the 
draining, grading and seeding and rolling of a large tract in 
Dodge park. City Forester Charles Greenwood, whose re- 
port is also included, says ; “The climatic conditions the last 
few seasons have been very favorable for growth of trees, 
and throughout the city the foliage has been luxuriant, and the 
growth of new w'ood unusually rapid. This has required 
extra attention in trimming, particularly on the Norway 
maples, which naturally form a large head, and need fre- 
quent trimming to get them up high enough for street trees. 
Considerable attention has been paid to trimming in the 
outlying districts, w'hich has greatly improved the approaches 
to the city. The" e.xpenditures for the year amounted to 
$25,483.58. 
* * * 
The improvements made in the 30-acre park of Enid, 
Ok., last season are described as follows by Park Commis- 
sioner H. D. White : “I found a few scattering trees, use- 
less for the purpose for which they were intended, and re- 
moved them. The park was leveled and the ground put 
in condition for planting. More than 30,000 elms, black 
locusts, maples, mulberries and evergreens were purchased 
and planted. Not one per cent. died. The young trees are 
eighteen inches high and thrifty. The work was done at a 
cost of $1,500. Proper care and supervision will give Enid 
one of the prettiest park systems of any of the cities of 
Oklahoma. 
* * Jji 
E.xtensive improvements under the direction of City En- 
gineer Cairns, were made during the season of 1904 in 
Hamilton park, which was presented to the city of Water- 
bury. Conn., in igoo. The old driveways were widened and 
gravelled and more were built. Near the entrance to the 
park was a pond, six to eight feet deep in places, with a bot- 
tom of rich muck that was the best possible soil for lawns 
and flower beds. The pond was drained and over 2,000 cubic 
yards of the muck taken out. The pond was then filled in 
with clean gravel so that it - will be only three to four feet 
deep and safe for skating. The soil from the pond will be 
used on lawn slopes to improve the growth of grass, for 
flower beds, and for tree planting. About 500 trees of varie- 
ties not now growing in the park are being planted to di- 
versify the vegetation. The city is considering the purchase 
of a tract of from twenty to twenty-five acres of land lying 
between the park and the Cheshire road, which, added to the 
forty-three and a half acres of the existing park, will make 
ah area of nearly seventy acres. This will cost $15,000 and 
the amount has been placed in the provisional budget for 
1905. In addition $8,000 has been provisionally appropriated 
for park improvement. 
