PARK AND CEMETERY. 
131 
SCENE IN FAIRMOUNT PARK. RENOVATING 
OLD TREES, ETC. 
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, is a beautiful 
place, as many of your readers who have seen it 
know, and those who have not been there have had 
glimpses of it through the medium of the photo- 
graphs presented in PARK AND CEMETERY from 
time to time. 
The greater part of the park contains natural 
woods, and much of the planting of former years 
has grown to fine proportions. These trees, grouped 
as many of them are, permit of the placing of 
flower-beds where their beauty will be brought out 
the best, and such a spot has been found for the 
ing flourishing tree, good for many years to come. 
Mr. C. C. Miller, the superintendent of the hor- 
ticultural department of the park, is an enthusiastic 
advocate of the pruning in ol old trees. In his re- 
port to the Park Commission, speaking of the dying 
out of some large trees he says: “The tramping of 
millions of feet during the summer months around 
the trees wears away the grass and top soil from 
the surface roots, and causes the loss of the rainfalls 
by washouts. These things should be guarded 
against, for trees deprived of food and drink can- 
not thrive.” 
Further on, referring to the same subject, he 
says: “The life of most of these fine old trees can 
A CANNA BED. FAIRMOUNT PARK, PHILADELPHIA. 
bed of cannas which the illustration displays. As 
will be observed, the bed is not wholly of cannas. 
The outside of it contains scarlet sage and a few 
mixed plants, then the cannas, next the castor-oil 
plant. The vase which surmounts the whole con- 
tains the variegated New Zealand flax, Phormium 
tenax variegata. 
Such beds as this are much sooner in good dis- 
play in summer if the plants be forwarded some- 
what. Those who keep their cannas dormant until 
they plant them out make a mistake. The plants 
should be started and advanced early, that when 
they are planted the leaves may be already of large 
size. Such plants bloom soon after being planted, 
whereas if not so treated summer is often well ad- 
vanced before it occurs. The same is true of scar- 
let sage. Good sized plants will flower almost from 
the start, in strong contrast to what is usually seen. 
The large oak tree on the left is one which, be- 
ing an old tree, and not flourishing well, had its 
limbs well pruned back, and to-day it is a fine look- 
be prolonged almost indefinitely if proper precau- 
tions are taken. Trees do not often die of old age 
if all the conditions are favorable to their require- 
ments. Many fine old trees which have been pruned 
as recommended have taken on new life, and are 
now splendid examples of what can be done by an 
intelligent system of pruning.” 
Certainly the tree displayed in the illustration is 
flourishing, and in much better shape every way 
than some which have not been so treated. Care 
would have to be taken that where limbs were short- 
ened in the scars were painted or in some way pro- 
tected from rains, or rot would set in, which in time 
would end the tree. 
Mr. Miller’s idea if I follow him aright, is that 
this pruning back of old trees is an heroic measure. 
He would prefer that the trees be fed as of old by 
the decaying of leaves, grass and other vegetation, 
or lacking this, by artificial means. For many sea- 
sons this has not been found practicable in this park, 
hence the practising of the cutting back of the limbs. 
