PARK AND CEMETERY. 
1 1 6 
PASEO DE LA REFORMA, LOOKING TOWARDS CHAPULTEPEC. 
At present the festivities which seek the Paseo 
de la Reforma centre upon the Glorieta de Colum- 
bus, and in that neighborhood the band stand has 
been erected. Stone seats are disposed along the 
paseo at intervals. 
There is a double row of trees— eucalyptus and 
cypress — on each side of the Paseo, its entire 
length. The trees are of great height, and be- 
tween them is presented a beautiful vista, closed by 
the wooded heights of Chapultepec and their pic- 
turesque crown — the castle itself. In the other di- 
rection the view includes the mountains, that shut 
in the valley of Mexico, with the two snow clad 
peaks, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, towering 
above them. These are the features which enable 
visitors in the city of Mexico to declare that the 
Paseo de la Reforma is unrivaled in beauty by any 
suburban drive in America or Europe. 
There is still another suburban Paseo related to 
the city of Mexico. It follows the west bank ot 
GLORIETA DE COLUMBUS, 
Viga canal south-east of the city. There is about 
midway of its course, a basin with a bust of Guante- 
moctzin upon a pedestal near it. Otherwise there 
has been no attempt made to adorn it The recre- 
ation of the city fashionables is diverted from the 
Paseo de la Reforma, to this Paseo de la Viga, 
during the Lenten season. 
Formerly the Calzada (causeway) from the cap- 
ital to Guadalupe was of the nature of a rel- 
igious paseo. It was built towards the end of 
the seventeenth century and was adorned by a 
glorieta in the centre and by fifteen handsome'y 
sculptured monuments along its course. These 
monuments celebrated the mysteries of the Ros- 
ary and were for the delectation of pious pilgrims 
to the shrine of Guadalupe. But the railroad to 
Vera Cruz appropriated the Calzada for a road bed 
and its glories quickly departed or are to be seen 
now only in their ruins. A. H. N. 
THE IDEAL PARK SUPERINTENDENT * 
It may seem presumptuous for one who has never 
been a park superintendent to attempt to give the quali- 
fications needed for such a position. Undoubtedly 
practical experience would add to one’s ability to speak 
with authority on this subject, but I may claim such 
ability as comes from being engaged in a similar calling 
— from having great admiration for parks, from visiting 
many such institutions and from studying what has been 
written on landscape gardening, as well as the actual 
landscape effects. 
When Mr. Egan asked me to prepare this paper he 
inclosed a slip on which was written, “What are the 
qualifications for an ideal park superintendent?” As the 
ideal combination can probably never be found in one 
man, which qualities can best be spared? Which are of 
the greatest importance? What is the relative impor- 
tance of the various essentials, such as engineering, tree 
planting, administrative ability, etc.? 
A park superintendent should first of all be honest, 
reliable, conscientious, gentlemanly — in short, be a man 
of good character. The people’s money which he 
spends should secure the best results for the people. If 
it goes for material it should be for the best quality and 
the greatest quantity that the amount expended will 
command; if for labor the work done should correspond 
with the wages paid. Bat all this is so generally admit- 
ted and is true of so many other callings that no time 
need be spent in its demonstration. Next to good character 
comes a knowledge of what a park should be. A super- 
intendent should know for what purpo e the thing he 
superintends exists, what should be its leading features 
and how these can be preserved or attained. He should 
know a park exists primarily for its beauty, for its va- 
ried scenery, for its contrast with city streets and for the 
rest, the recreation and the pleasure that is given by this 
beauty with all its various modes of expression. In 
*A paper read before the Chicago Horticultural Society. by O C 
Simonds, Landscape Gardener, 
