198 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
ASKED AND ANSWERED 
An exchange of experience on practical matters by our readers. You 
are invited to contribute questions and answers to this department 
Best Surface for Playgrounds. 
Editor Asked and Answered, Park and 
Cemetery : I would like to know what is 
being used on the various up-to-date play- 
grounds as a surface for the surroundings 
of the gynasiums, etc., where it is not pos- 
sible to grow sod. We have here a soil 
which is very sticky when at all wet, and 
though coating with fine cinders makes a 
fairly good surface, yet it is apt to be 
dusty and is not by any means ideal. Sand 
or fine crushed stone is open to the same 
objection. I had thought of oiling surface 
of playground to keep down this dust, but 
am a little afraid of its action on the chil- 
dren’s clothes. Probably some of our su- 
perintendents can give me some informa- 
tion as to the ideal surfaces. — G. C., Can. 
We have just this season commenced 
the oiling of our playground parks with 
“Tasscoil,” a substance purchased from 
Alden Speare’s Sons Co., Boston, Mass. 
This is a light, almost colorless oil, and is 
being used for keeping down the dust. In 
tank carlots the price is about 6 l / 2 cents 
per gallon and in smaller lots (barrels) 
about 12^2 cents per gallon. For a more 
detailed experience with this substance 
please refer to H. W. Richards, of the 
South Park Commissioners, as this sub- 
stance has been used extensively by the 
South Park Commissioners in the past year 
or so. A. C. Schrader, 
Superintendent and Engineer, West 
Park Commission. 
Chicago, 111. 
Regarding playground surfacing, I wish 
to give the following answer to your cor- 
respondent : 
Replying to inquiry regarding treatment 
of playground surface, I wish to state the 
following: We have used oil for two sea- 
sons and obtained satisfactory results un- 
der similar conditions as outlined above. 
If a colorless, non-asphaltic oil is used, 
which penetrates very quickly, I do not be- 
lieve children’s clothes will be damaged ; 
at least we have had no complaints so far. 
The oil we use is sold under the trade 
name of “Tasscoil,” by Alden Speare’s Sons 
Co., 156 Sixth street, Cambridge, Mass. 
The cost of the oil was about 7 cents per 
gallon in carload lots. 
Last year we tried “Glutrin” and ob- 
tained satisfactory results where the sur- 
face was a mixture of clay and sand. It 
made the surface very hard and firm and 
practically dustless. This material we ob- 
tained from the Robeson Process Co., 39 
Cortland street, New York City, and you 
can obtain from them a circular dealing 
extensively with this subject. 
Theodore Wirth, 
Superintendent of Parks. 
Minneapolis, Minn. 
I have found that the best surface for 
playground areas is a well drained sandy 
loam in which there is a slight mixture of 
clay, enough to give the soil stability, but 
not enough to cause it to be sticky di- 
rectly after rainy weather. Cinders, even 
though finely screened, are sharp and cut 
the hands. 
I have found it possible to lay the dust 
on larger, fields by the use of oil emulsions, 
using not over 10 per cent fuel oil ; also 
applications of very light oil may be used 
satisfactorily. I have never found, when 
care is used, that there has been trouble 
resultant in damaging of children’s clothes. 
I have usually formed play fields by the 
use of a semi-clay soil well rolled in place, 
thoroughly under-drained and covered 
with a very thin coating of washed tor- 
pedo sand rolled in place, and think this 
method probably has advantage over an}' 
other type in cost and in comfort to those 
using the fields. 
Areas used for installation of outdoor 
gymnasium apparatus and which undergo 
an unusual amount of use may be paved 
with asphaltic concrete, taking care that a 
resilient surface is formed, but that, on 
the other hand, an asphaltic compound is 
used which will not become sticky in hot 
weather. M. H. West, 
President, American Park Builders. 
Chicago, 111. 
Squirrels Again. 
In a recent issue of Park and Ceme- 
tery I noticed an interesting discussion re- 
garding the depredations of squirrels in 
public parks. I notice that several of the 
correspondents state that squirrels destroy 
birds’ nests and eat the buds and twigs of 
trees and shrubs. 
Your readers, I am sure, would be in- 
terested to know that the superintendent of 
parks of Providence, Mr. Fred C. Greene, 
has taught the gray squirrel to enjoy eat- 
ing various species of bulbs such as narcis- 
sus, tulips, etc. Of course, Mr. Greene had 
no intention of teaching these interesting 
animals to acquire a taste for the spring 
bulbs, but nevertheless that is what has 
happened. 
There are a large number of gray 
squirrels in Roger Williams Park and they 
are fed regularly with peanuts. In the 
fall of last year Superintendent Greene 
planted several thousand bulbs under- 
neath the trees and on the banks of the 
lakes. The bulbs were first scattered all 
over the grounds and then the men went 
along and planted them wherever they 
happened to rest. Undoubtedly many of 
the bulbs were not planted and were dis- 
covered by the sharp eyes of the squirrels. 
It is hardly possible to suppose that at first 
the squirrels enjoyed the bulbs, but no 
doubt when food became scarce through 
the winter they acquired the taste for them. 
The result has been that many of the beds 
in which the bulbs were planted in the fall 
have been seriously damaged. The squirrels 
burrow down in the soil and take out the 
bulbs bodily. In other cases they have 
waited until the bulbs were well up and 
the flower bud showing in the leaves be- 
fore they have attacked the plants. The 
flower buds seem to be just as palatable 
to them as the bulb itself. 
Kingston, R. I. E. K. Thomas. 
Labels for Trees. 
The New Bedford branch of the Massa- 
chusetts Forestry Association has set out 
in this city over a thousand trees and is 
considering tagging the various trees to 
let the public know what kind they are 
and who did the work. Could you give us 
the names of any concerns who carry in 
stock what we want? We want the com- 
mon name tags or labels in preference to 
the botanical designations. 
Geo. H. Reynolds. 
New Bedford, Mass. 
You can get labels or tags for trees 
from the Standard Sign Manufacturing 
Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. ; the Bateman Manu- 
facturing Co., Grenloch, N. J. ; Sefton 
Bros., 70 West Madison street, Chicago; 
New York Stencil Works, 100 Nassau 
street, New York; Benfield & Milne, 92 
Fulton street, New York; Ingram-Richard- 
son Co., 100 William street, New York; 
Enameled Iron Sign Co., 29 Murray street, 
New York. 
THE OBITUARY RECORD. 
Mrs. Virginia Graves, the oldest citizen 
of Bloomington, 111., in point of years 
spent there, and mother of Arthur J. 
Graves, superintendent of the Bloomington 
Cemetery Association, died recently from 
an illness of several months’ standing. 
Seventy-seven years a resident of Bloom- 
ington, Mrs. Graves was known to almost 
the entire community, and her passing is 
deeply mourned. Mrs. Graves, born Vir- 
ginia Hayden, was a teacher in the first 
private school ever established in Bloom- 
ington. Until the time of her marriage her 
entire attention was given to teaching and 
she retained an intense interest in school 
affairs throughout her life. Her marriage 
to Linus Graves took place in 1847, Mr. 
Graves preceding her in death after fifty 
years of married life. Six children — three 
son and three daughters— were born of the 
union, two of the daughters dying in in- 
fancy. The survivors are Walter H., liv- 
ing in Portland, Ore. ; Linus R., living in 
Los Angeles, Cal. ; Arthur J., residing in 
Bloomington, and Mrs. J. C. Means, with 
whom Mrs. Graves had made her home 
many years. There are five granddaugh- 
ters, two grandsons and four great grand- 
children. 
I 
