PARK AND CEMETERY 
AND LANDSCAPE GARDENING 
Vol. XXII. Chicago, August, 1912 No. 6 
Important Conventions 
The annual conventions of the American Assoc. ation of 
Park Superintendents, and the Association of American Cem- 
etery Superintendents, take place this month, but owing to their 
respective dates, they cannot be adequately reported in this 
issue. The Park Superintendents convened at Boston, Mass., 
on August 12th, for a three days session, and the Cemetery 
Superintendents will hold a three days meeting at Milwau- 
kee, August 20-22. However, in another column will be 
found some interesting matter connected with the 
Park Superintendents meeting at Boston, of which a full 
account will be given in our next issue; and in this issue 
more details of the Cemetery Superintendents Milwaukee 
Convention may be found. The work of both these asso- 
ciations is of such vast importance, in their respective lines, 
to the improvement of the country, that it becomes an ab- 
solute duty to urge every one interested in, or associated 
with their labors, to swell the attendance and join their ranks 
in order to keep up the work and maintain progress. The 
American Railway Gardening Association also held its sixth 
annual meeting in Roanoke, Va., Aug. 13th-16th. 
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Custom House Delays 
There should be an immediate reform in Custom House 
regulations between the United States and Canada, as they 
apply to the interchange of perishable freight, such as nur- 
sery stock, etc., and the time expended in the amateur han- 
dling of such fumigation requirements as the law demands. 
The fees too for the work appear to be exorbitant, and 
savor considerably of “politics” to use a “mild term.” How- 
ever, we are apprised of the rough handling of such stock 
during the fumigating process, and the altogether deterrent 
effects which the conditions mentioned must have on the 
probable direct purchasers of nursery stock and planting 
material, which may have to cross the border. We should 
be glad to learn of the experiences of other professional land- 
scape men in their use of imported material for their work, or 
where they may have to submit to the fumigating “process” 
under other supervision than their own. There is undoubt- 
edly still need for the introduction of current business meth- 
ods in our Treasury Department in connection with custom 
house methods; far greater expedition should be exerted and a 
very large percentage of the “red-tape” so common, espe- 
cially in the clearing of the smaller shipments, should be 
lopped off. Custom House delay has become too proverbial 
for an up-to-date government and progressive people. 
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Some Food for Thought and Action 
A prominent citizen and business man of one of our 
larger cities in speaking in favor of liberal appropriations 
for the Park Board, urges, and for “hard-headed” business, 
reasons, heavy assessments for the beautification of the 
city. The present generation demands it for pleasure, rec- 
reation and the enjoyment of life, and as an advertise- 
ment to increase the population, there is no greater in- 
ducement to influence and settle the important question of 
change of residence, than the outdoor facilities for pleas- 
urable exercise, and the fact of living in an attractive city. 
He is quite right, and speaks from an understanding not 
only of the cravings of a healthy man’s intellectual and phys- 
ical nature, but from the business experience of the in- 
creased value of the real estate of a beautiful city, and the 
all around advantages and profits accruing therefrom. The 
same speaker criticized the general mistake of encouraging 
or supporting too many clubs and organizations — a serious 
fault in many cities. As a rule, sooner or later, they con- 
flict one with the other, or interfere by reason of their most 
prominent members holding membership possibly in all. It 
would unquestionably be far better to have a merger of the 
clubs with a directorate, small in number, of experienced 
and brainy people, with real working committees to take 
care of the several fields of endeavor. The Chambers of 
Commerce of many cities might well centralize their Im- 
provement Clubs . 
Daniel Hudson Burham 
In the death of Daniel Hudson Burnham, the noted archi- 
tect, which occurred last month while on a vacation health 
trip in Europe, the country has lost a "great: man and Chi- 
cago a world-renowned citizen. This is not an exaggeration, 
for his magnificent work in connection with the World’s 
Fair in Chicago in 1893 gave him a world wide reputation, 
to which his later work in connection with the Washington, 
D. C., Chicago, and other city plans, as well as the magnifi- 
cent buildings designed by him, have added additional lustre. 
Chicago owes much to Mr. Burnham and his chief monu- 
ment will be his Chicago City Plan, now in the hands of 
the City Plan Commission, which will, as it expands toward 
completion, more and more explain and express his “great 
positive qualities of imagination, originality, sympathy and 
courage,” blended, to create a great character and exceptional 
man, as was said of him at a recent meeting of the Com- 
mission. The Commission resolved to request the board of 
South Park Commissioners to give the name “Burnham Park” 
to the proposed park extending from Grant Park to Jack- 
son Park, in commemoration of the name and great work 
in his city’s behalf of Daniel Hudson Burnham. 
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The Billboard Nuisance 
The improvement in the Billboard situation suggests a 
constantly growing public sentiment against the desecration 
of our cities, and country places, with that degrading meth- 
od of business publicity. The Billboard advertising corpo- 
ration has so far met this public feeling by an apparently 
earnest determination to closely censor the matter and pic- 
tures displayed on its boards ; while to a greater or less 
extent, all over the country, advertisers are gradually with- 
drawing their patronage of the obnoxious and detrimental 
billboard to make known their products, etc. About the 
latest and most interesting item of news in connection with 
the subject, is that Mr. David Belasco, the well known play- 
wright and theatre manager, has decided not to use the bill- 
board for advertising purposes any longer, but to depend 
more upon the advertising columns of the newspaper. This 
should have a great influence on billboard theatrical notices 
and illustrations, and lead other managers to do likewise. 
* ^ ^ 
The S. A. F. & O. H. Meeting in Chicago 
The twenty-eighth annual meeting of the Society of Amer- 
ican Florists and Ornamental Horticulturists, will be held at 
the Coliseum in Chicago, Aug. 20-23. This is the first time 
in many years that that organization has met in Chicago, 
and plans are being made for what will probably be a record 
attendance. The trade exhibit will as usual be an impor- 
tant feature. 
