695 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
The shrub most extensively planted 
is the spirea Van Houttei. It is the 
best of the low growing shrubs and 
is extensively used as borders for 
beds or masses of other shrubs. Oth- 
er shrubs that are standards and gen- 
erally well known for their hardiness 
and adaptability to our climate are 
the buddleias, caryopteris, deutzias, 
forsythias, bush honeysuckles, Judas 
tree, lilacs, philadelphus, ligustrums 
and pomegranates. All of these have 
stood the drouth well, wherever cul- 
tivated. In our experiments this sea- 
son with a number of kinds not gen- 
erally planted in the Southwest, we 
are pleased with the ceanothus 
Americanus, laurus tinus, hypericum 
moserianum, and sambucus, but the 
shrub that interested us most is. a 
hardy shrubby salvia, producing a 
profusion of scarlet blossoms very 
similar to the salvia splendens. It 
is a neat growing plant, not quite 
so large as the spirea Van Houttei 
and will prove very valuable for bor- 
dering large beds. ' It has been 
blooming from the time we set it 
out in April until now, and will 
doubtless continue until frost. I am 
watching it with a great deal of in- 
terest. 
Planters generally in the Southwest 
have not learned to use shrubs to the 
best advantage. Occasionally an in- 
dividual specimen may be planted by 
itself to good advantage, but as a 
rule they should be grown in beds or 
groups. Thei,r best use is not so 
much to show the beauty of their 
flowers or foliage as such, but more 
for the general effect obtained by 
combining plants of different heights, 
shapes and habits, as well as color 
of foliage and flowers of the various 
shrubs. 
To the landscape architect, shrubs 
form one of his most valuable assets. 
Without them he could not complete 
the beautiful effects produced by the 
proper blending of foliage and flow- 
ers. It is easy to find the reason why 
shrubs have not been more generally 
planted in Texas. They have often 
been sold by agents, who knew noth- 
ing of their habits and requirements 
and more than this, many of our park 
and other large plantings are being 
done by men wholly ignorant of the 
names and nature of shrubs. Too 
often they se„d away to North Car- 
olina, Ohio or some other place for 
shrubs totally unsuited to our con- 
ditions and climate. This is disheart- 
ening and it is the duty and priv- 
ilege of the nurserymen of the South- 
west to disseminate accurate knowl- 
edge, that the public may understand 
what to plant in a dry climate and 
what in a wet, what will thrive best 
in the shade and what in the sun- 
shine. 
METHODS OF NEW JERSEY TREE COMMISSIONS 
From an Address by A. T. Hastings,. Jr., City For- 
ester of the Jersey City Shade Tree Commission 
The original shade tree act in New 
Jersey was passed by both the assem- 
bly and senate in February, 1893. 
Through the efforts of the then mayor 
of Orange, Lawrence T. Fell, Gov. 
Werts signed the bill on March 28, 
1893. Mayor Fell, who was heartily 
in favor of the Shade Tree Commis- 
sion, and F. W. Kelsey, who is at 
present a nurseryman with headquar- 
ters on Broadway, New York City, 
both members of the committee which 
drafted the original act, desired very 
much that Orange establish the first 
commission in this state, but for some 
reason it was not organized and 
Orange remains today without the 
benefits of such a commission. Passaic 
was the first city to take advantage 
of the new law and through the ef- 
forts of the commission formed there 
many lessons were taught other cities 
how to carry out municipal shade tree 
work. East Orange and Newark soon 
followed Passaic’s example. Today 
there are thirty cities and tovrtis in 
New Jersey that have a commission, 
and many more are planning to or- 
ganize commissions. 
Amendments to the original act 
were passed from time to time. Un- 
foreseen difficulties arose that de- 
manded legislative action and in or- 
der to establish commissions in some 
cities an amendment became neces- 
sary. After many years of struggling 
in Jersey City an amendment was 
passed giving the Board of Finance 
the power to authorize the mayor to 
appoint a commission. Under the 
original act it was the governing 
board of the Board of Aldermen, that 
had that power, but as the board did 
not seem anxious to adopt the act 
the friends of the commission secured 
the above mentioned amendment, 
which was the, political end of the 
commission as far as Jersey City is 
concerned. I feel, however, that cred- 
it should be given former Mayor Fa- 
gan, Pastor Heindel, Dr. Ullamor Al- 
een, August Koven and Walter Gor- 
man, as well as the various civic socie- 
ties, for their untiring efforts to estab- 
lish the commission in Jersey City. 
Mayor Wittpenn, in 1908, created 
the commission appointing as com- 
missioners Messrs. Richardson, who 
has since ably filled the president’s 
chair. Pope and Conrad, the latter two 
later succeeded by Messrs. Tompkins 
and Morrison. The Court of Errors 
and Appeals, in 1909, in handing down 
a decision on the Civil Service Law, 
came near dealing a death blow to 
the commission as the court decreed 
the legislature has no power to grant 
away its own powers and it is the leg- 
islature and not city boards that can 
grant power to organize new munici- 
pal boards. This gave an opportunity 
for the enemies of the commission to 
get busy but Mayor Wittpenn, who is 
a great friend of the commission, went 
to Trenton during the legislative ses- 
sion of 1910 and succeeded in inducing 
the legislature to enact a new law 
correcting the former defects. Only a 
few days ago it was stated that the 
New Jersey Law Journal had discov- 
ered some more defects in shade tree 
laws and that the commission of this 
city was a de facto board. It seems, 
however, that the Law Journal over- 
looked the 1910 law and that our com- 
mission will exist for a while longer. 
Of the final outcome of all the strug- 
gles to organize and maintain shade 
tree commissions in this state there 
can be but little doubt. The citizens 
of thirty cities or towns have now had 
a chance to see actual benefits derived 
from commissions and it is doubtful 
indeed if a serious check can be given 
to this growing movement for better 
care of street trees in cities. A per- 
manent organization was formed to 
be ready at any time to foster and as- 
sist shade tree commissions through- 
out the state. 
I will now briefly state the methods 
of operations by our commission and 
also give a few of their purposes. 
The planting of new trees naturally 
enough comes first. Early in the 
spring of each year the commission 
selects streets to be planted. The in- 
tention of the commission to plant 
these streets is then advertised in the 
Jersey Journal and the Hudson Coun- 
ty observer for five days. A specific 
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