6 
PARK AND CE-METFRY. 
Aiumal reports or extracts from them ^historical sketches ^ 
descriptive circulars^ photoS'J'aphs of improvements or dis- 
tinctive features a7’e requested for use in this departments 
The city of Joplin, l\Io.. has been offered a large tract of 
land belonging to the Schifferdecker estate, on condition that 
the city raise $10,000 for its maintenance and improvement. 
An appropriation of $1,000 toward the fund has been made, 
and the commercial club has pledged itself to raise the re- 
maining $9,000. 
+ ^ 
The Lincoln Farm Association has been formed to take 
charge of Lincoln’s birthplace, near Hodgenville, Ky.. and 
convert it into a permanent national park. The association, 
which has Governor Folk of Missouri as its president and 
some of the most eminent men in the country as trustees, is 
to be a self-perpetuating body, acting as agent for the Ameri- 
can people. The farm itself, purchased by Mr. Collier, the 
New York publisher, is to be taken in charge by the associa- 
tion and restored as nearly as possible to its original condi- 
tion, this work and its future maintenance to be provided for 
by subscriptions from all the people. 
* * * 
The annual report of the park commission of Lowell, 
Alass., for 1905 tells of some interesting work in a number 
of lines not commonly included in the activities of a park 
board. The city council appropriated $500 for the extermina- 
tion of the brown tail moth, and there were 31,628 nests 
removed and destroyed by the park superintendent. The com- 
mission also received many applications from citizens for the 
removal and trimming of trees. The report of the general 
superintendent, Cha^. A. Whittet, contains an interesting 
discussion of the value of parks, and also some valuable 
advice concerning shade trees. Extensive improvement has 
been made in the South Common. The athletic grounds were 
graded, a running track and baseball grounds laid out and a 
drinking fountain erected near the entrance. An outdoor 
gymnasium is also to be erected this spring. The appropria- 
tion for the year was $12,544, of which $8,999.92 was ex- 
pended for labor, and $3,771.28 for general expenses. 
* * * 
Bulletin No. 15, Vol. 5, of the New York Botanical Garden, 
reports continued progress in the general plans for the con- 
struction of a garden and park and the collections in all de- 
partments have been materially increased. The permanent 
fund was increased during the year to $4,500, and the total 
membership is now 1,129. The city appropriations, amount- 
ing to $70,000, were expended for the construction work, and 
the general maintenance allowance for this year has been in- 
creased from $70,000 to $80,000. The main park driveways 
have been completed and opened and the entire driveway sys- 
tem planned for the garden is planned for completion this 
year. A five-rubble stone bridge for the drive across the 
valley of the Bronx river and a one-arch cut granite bridge 
across the valley of the lakes north of the museum building 
have been completed, and the general plan calls for two foot- 
bridges, for which designs have been prepared. 
Extensive plans prepared by Olmsted Bros., of Brookline, 
Mass., for the development of the park system of Baltimore, 
have been adopted with certain modifications. The plans will 
involve the expenditure of about $3,000,000. One-third of 
this is now available, and the present and the next legisla- 
tures will each be asked to authorize another million. The 
groundwork of the improvement is the construction of boule- 
vards connecting the various parks. Tn the northwestern sec- 
tion there will be constructed a boulevard between Druid Hill 
and Gwynn’s Falls parks ; and several new squares will be 
laid out. On the northeast, there will be a boulevard be- 
tween Clifton and Wyman parks, the Broadway series of 
squares will be extended to Clifton, and several new ones 
established. In the southeast there will be an extension of 
the Patterson Park boulevard to Broadway and between 
Patterson and Canton parks, with several new squares. On 
the southwest of the city the park at Gwynn’s Falls will open 
up a most promising tract of land, and the water front will 
be greatly improved. Much of the territory to be brought 
within the park system includes fine timber, streams of con- 
siderable volume and such variations of plain, hill and dale 
as to make it admirably adapted to the desired uses. 
* * * * 
In a recent prize competition for papers on “Greater 
Springfield,” conducted by the Springfield Nezvs, Springfield, 
111., many excellent ideas for a larger, better and more beauti- 
ful city were received, which it is hoped will form the basis 
for systematic improvement work. Arthur Hay, formerly 
secretary and engineer of the Springfield Park Board, was 
the winner of the third prize. The first was awarded to 
W. S. Burroughs, and the second to Mrs. V. T. Lindsay. 
Some of the suggestions received were as follows : Beautify 
lawns and boulevard spaces between pavements and street; 
offer prizes for the best kept lawns, best. kept blocks, etc.; 
abolish the smoke nuisance; form, a permanent “Greater 
Springfield” organization. Mr. Hay suggested moving the 
tracks of the Chicago & Alton Railway to make way for a 
state park about the capitol. Other recommendations in his 
paper were: Build a new union station at Tenth street, 
spanning Capitol avenue ; boulevard Capitol avenue from the 
state hodse to the new union station ; then let Capitol avenue 
be flanked by state and municipal buildings, each on its own 
grounds. Straighten and widen First street and boulevard 
north from the state house, with a drive to Lincoln monu- 
ment, abandoning the present Monumental avenue and the 
drive leadings thereto. Let the state acquire the present 
grounds of Bishop Seymour, the Edwards school and private 
residence on the block bounded by Second, Spring, Charles 
and Edwards streets, and use the site for the location of state 
buildings in the future. A system of boulevards radiating 
from the capitol is also suggested. 
* * * 
NEW PARKS AND IMPROVEMENTS- 
The waterworks committee of the City Council of Minne- 
apolis has decided to advertise for bids for 300 trees for the 
boulevard from Central avenue to the reservoir. This im- 
provement was planned ten years ago, and was one of the 
conditions of the transfer of the reservoir site to the city by 
Thomas Lowry. 
The Park Board of St. Paul, Minn., has passed a resolution 
to make a park of the tract bounded by Jessie, Edgerton, 
Case and York streets. 
The city of Evanston, 111 ., has recently completed the filling 
in of a tract of land on the lake front as an addition to the' 
lake front park. This completes a park of eight acres that • 
has been filled in and reclaimed from. Lake Michigan. 
