360 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
classified as a recreation and are usually 
considered as such. 
In our climate the average amateur stu- 
dent of nature turns to books when the 
flowers are gone and most of New Eng- 
land’s trees are bare. However, for some 
time many of the agricultural colleges and 
various institutions interested in the study 
of horticulture have been teaching the 
characteristics and identifications of trees 
during the winter season. Led by the in- 
structor the students walk through the 
arboretum or woods where various trees 
are noted and classified at first hand. Talks 
and lectures of a more popular nature 
were conducted by the management of 
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. 
The Hampden County Horticultural So- 
ciety conducted a talk on the trees of 
Forest Park, Springfield, last April. All 
of these talks have been very well attended. 
In the fall of 1913 “Walking Talks’’ for 
the public were conducted in the Boston 
public parks, under the leadership of Mr. 
Fisher of Franklin Park. During the same 
season Supt. G. A. Parker introduced the 
“Walking Talk” on trees, shrubs and plant- 
ing effects in Hartford public parks. 
Talks were conducted through the many 
public parks and Supt. G. H. Hollister per- 
sonally conducted several successful walks 
in Keney Park. The walks will be con- 
tinued in Hartford this season. 
As leader of the walks in the public 
parks, of Flartford last fall I suggest the 
following : 
Selection of Route. 
Select i f possible a route having a variety 
of native and introduced trees. Groups of 
trees as well as specimens and occasionally 
an opportunity to identify trees at a dis- 
tance by general characteristics and shape, 
give variety and therefore add to the inter- 
est. Some of the evergreens and any rare 
or unusual specimens give points of spe- 
cial interest. Usually some trees will be 
found which will offer opportunity to dis- 
cuss tree care, including surgery, combat- 
ing insects, pruning, planting, moving, etc. 
Some time may well be spent on this phase 
of the subject, as many are personally in- 
terested, having trees and shrubs of their 
own needing care. 
The length of the route may be deter- 
mined in a general way by (1) make-up 
of the party, age, women and children, 
etc. ; (2) condition of the ground to be 
covered, whether swampy, rocky, hilly, etc. ; 
(3) the weather, and (4) time for walk. 
During cold weather the talks should be 
made shorter and the walking intervals 
longer. Talk enough to keep up the inter- 
est and walk enough to keep warm. Two 
miles is ordinarily the limit for an after- 
noon. 
Keep in mind that while nearly all of 
the party know the common trees very 
few know that there are many species of 
oaks, that the box-elder is a maple, etc. 
A number of trees of one genera affords a 
chance to note their common characteris- 
tics and differences. 
At the beginning of the walk a word 
about the structure of a tree and the 
various functions of the many parts makes 
a good introduction. A small gray birch 
may well be selected to demonstrate. The 
value of some definite order of describing 
the trees should not be overlooked. Some 
of mv talks were in the form of lectures 
for the boys of the wood-working classes 
of the manual training schools. Many of 
these boys had never seen, to know them, 
the common trees from which their wood 
came. They took notes so it was advisable 
to follow some outline rather closely. The 
following met with the approval of the 
teachers and worked out well : 
Outline. 
Common Name: Give all common names 
as there are many local ones. Give origin 
of name and meaning, etc. 
Scientific Name: Reason and need of, 
etc. (Introduce a short discussion of the 
use of scientific names, their value, etc.) 
Habitat and Distribution : Rocky, swamp, 
meadow, or other situation ; native or in- 
troduced, and where found. 
Shape : Habit of growth, shape of tree, 
size, etc. 
Characteristics: Bark — color, texture, 
close or loose, etc. ; twigs — shaps, color, 
arrangement, etc. ; leaves — shape, size, ar- 
rangement, texture, etc. ; buds — size, shape, 
color, etc. ; fruits — size, shape, color, kind, 
etc. 
Means of Propagation : From seed, 
cuttings, etc. 
Means of Identification : Including com- 
parisons with characteristics of other trees. 
Value : Commercially — wood — texture, 
durability, color, grain, hard or soft, etc. 
Planting and Ornamental LTses: Shade, 
as windbreak ; growth, formal ; as speci- 
men, as group, etc. 
A much more informal talk is preferable 
for a general party when questions of gen- 
eral interest may be answered as they 
suggest themselves. Lists of the trees to 
be found on the walks were given out in 
Hartford. These contained the scientific 
and common names, the former arranged 
alphabetically, thus saving much time oth- 
erwise spent in repeating and spelling 
names. Before breaking up it is well to 
announce and outline the next walk. 
The campfire and hot coffee and frank- 
furts during cold weather added much to 
the comfort and enjoyment of the tramps 
over the frozen ground and snow. 
“Walking Talks” in the future could well 
include the entire year and the birds, ani- 
mals and plants in their season. I believe 
that directed nature study will s-urely be- 
come a part of the park work as has 
directed play. 
CEMETERY WORK BY CEMETERY EMPLOYEES 
In the brief time allotted to me for a 
presentation of this important question I 
cannot hope to do more than make a few 
suggestions which may result in bringing 
to the surface in the discussion which, we 
hope, will follow a far better answer than 
I am able to make ; for there are many 
men present far richer in knowledge and 
riper in experience in these matters than 
the one who now addresses you. 
It seems to me that in approaching a 
discussion of this troublesome question the 
solution and answer must depend largely 
upon the form of a cemetery organiza- 
tion — i. c., whether it be a corporation or 
privately owned ; a cemetery owned and 
controlled by an association of lot own- 
ers whose only purpose is to maintain it 
An address before the New England Cem- 
etery Association, by Leonard IV. Ross. 
in accordance with their own desires ; an 
ecclesiastically owned and controlled cem- 
etery, subject to the laws, customs and 
traditions of the church, or a municipally 
owned cemetery subject to, in many cases 
in the years past, but of late most for- 
tunately disappearing, the whims, ambi- 
tions and influences of the men in politi- 
ical control for the time being of the mu- 
nicipality. 
I am firm in my belief, however, that no 
matter how organized, or by whom owned 
and controlled, our first care, duty and in- 
terest should be devoted to the proper 
service of the lot owners, and I firmly be- 
lieve that no cemetery can continue suc- 
cessfully, agreeably and prosperously for 
any considerable period of time, which 
grossly neglects or violates their interests, 
which in their very nature are different 
from, but not necessarily subordinate or an- 
tagonistic to our own interests. 
Let me become radical for a moment, 
revolutionary, if you will:- — not only do I 
believe that we should do all that is to be 
done, of every kind, name or nature that 
requires doing within our borders, but be- 
lieve that we should design, manufacture, 
either by our own employees or by con- 
tract, and erect all forms of memorial 
structures which are placed in the ceme- 
tery, because I believe that under such 
conditions only can the thousands of archi- 
tectural monstrosities be eliminated ; but, 
of course, that can not, will not, be. The 
punishment for an interference with di- 
