PARK AND CEMETERY. 
696 
meeting of the commission is men- 
tioned in this notice of intention at 
which meeting the commission listens 
and acts on objections to planting. 
The objections that are most liable 
to hold good are interference with 
business and the cutting of cement 
sidewalks. I do not mean by this 
that all objections of this nature hold 
good. The next step is the selection 
of trees. Norway maples, Oriental 
planes, and American elms are chiefly 
used as they are the leaders of suit- 
able street trees. Others that are used 
are some varieties of the poplar, the 
ginkgo, and the locust, with occasion- 
ally a few oaks. Before the planting 
is done a space of ground where the 
tree is to be planted is dug up for 
about 4 ft. by 4 ft. and 3 ft. deep, 
the stone removed and manure and 
fertilizer added. The tree when plant- 
ed is protected by a six foot wire 
guard and a by by 8 ft. chest- 
nut stake. The cost of tree and plant- 
ing and guards is charged directly to 
abutting property and is placed upon 
the annual tax bill. This cost is about 
$3.00, but will vary from year to year 
as the price of trees at the nursery 
varies. Street trees are two inches in 
diameter at the ground. Besides this 
planting the commission plants on 
written request from anyone. In re- 
plying to these requests many trees of 
larger caliper than the regular two 
inch street tree are planted. Trees 
costing from $10 to $30 have been 
planted. It is surprising to note how 
the orders for these larger trees in- 
crease each year. The cost of these 
trees is paid directly to the commis- 
sion. The money thus received is de- 
posited with the city treasurer who 
credits the commission with it. 
The planting of all city parks is also 
done by the commission. Altogether 
the commission has planted 3,736 trees 
on 41 streets, and 533 in the parks. 
This does not, of course, include the 
shrubbery and flowers planted. The 
ground covered by these 3,736 trees 
can better be realized by saying that 
at the average distance of 30 feet 
which they are planted would cover a 
distance of 21 miles. The past season 
the commission has planted close to 
2,500 new trees. All trees planted by 
the commission are fully guaranteed, 
and if they die are replaced free. They 
are cared for from year to year at no 
cost to property owners. 
The care of street trees is an im- 
portant branch of the commission’s 
work. Trimming, spraying, cement- 
ing and removing is all done gratis 
on application to the commission. A 
systematic scheme of the trimming of 
all street trees is the desire of the 
commission but funds are not avail- 
able to place a large force at work 
to accomplish this. For this reason 
the commission limits themselves al- 
most entirely to the performing of re- 
quested work. 
The cementing of cavities in trees 
is an important factor as many large 
trees can in this way be saved where- 
as if left untreated they would soon 
become dangerous. This treatment 
consists of the removal of all decayed 
portions and the filling of the cavity 
thus formed with concrete. Some 
twenty-five trees have been treated 
in this way during the past summer. 
The spraying of all trees in the city 
at the proper time is perhaps the most 
sought for of all the work of the 
commission. Each year the commis- 
sion adds new apparatus for this work 
and it will not be many years before 
every tree in the city can be sprayed 
at the proper time and the raid of 
the caterpillars be severely checked. 
The cars of the city parks and the 
construction of new parks falls to the 
lot of the Shade Tree Commission. 
From plans drawn by Landscape Ar- 
chitect John T. Withers work has 
been commenced on L. J. Gordon, 
Bayside, and Mary Benson Parks. 
Two small triangular plots have been 
parked by the commission. At the 
junction of Baldwin and Summit ave- 
nues, a small triangular plot has been 
transformed into a beauty spot. This 
has been named the Catheryn A. Pope 
Triangle in honor of Mrs. Catheryn 
Pope, who during her useful later life 
devoted much attention to the needs 
of the poor. At the junction of Ton- 
nele, Pavonia and Garrison avenues a 
similar plot of ground has been de- 
veloped and what was a barren rocky 
piece of land is now a beauty spot. 
This has been named the Cornelius 
Brett Triangle. Of the many virtues 
of this gentleman I need say nothing. 
Both of these plots were developed at 
a cost of less than $400 each, and I 
venture to say that no one would deny 
that this improvement has added hun- 
dreds of dollars to the value of ad- 
jacent property. ' The maintenance of 
city parks is quite a task requiring 
considerable outlay of money. Each 
year the commission will improve all 
city parks as , far as possible and be 
kept worthy of the name “Park.” 
THE SUN DIAL AND ITS GARDEN SETTING 
When our first Colonists came to 
the new country, they brought with 
them the memories of the beautiful 
gardens of England and Holland, and 
of their sun-dials inscribed with many 
a quaint and suggestive motto. Later, 
when the soil yielded fruits to the 
willing toiler, came the making of 
gardens and placing of sun-dials. 
The Psalmist was levied upon for in- 
scriptions, favorite ones being “Oh, 
remember how short my time is;” 
“Put not off from day to day;” “Man 
is like a thing of naught, his time 
passeth away like a shadow.” 
Queen Alexandra’s dial in the gar- 
den at Sandringham bears the inscrip- 
tion: 
By Mary H. Northend 
BORDERING OP BOX AROUND A SUN DIAL. 
