PARK AND CE/nCTCRY. 
1 13 
growth in the rich soil supplied, that the upper re- 
ceptacles are quite hidden and each vase becomes 
an overflowing fountain of flowers and vines that in- 
creases in beauty to the end of the season. 
Fanny Copley Seavey. 
Preserve Valuable Trees. 
Recently I visited a western city, having a 
population of seven or eight thousand people, for 
the purpose of making a design for the improve- 
ment of the home grounds of one of its citizens. 
The lot in question was bounded by streets on the 
north, east and south sides. The house faced the 
south street and the barn was placed near the north 
street, as was also the barn on the adjoining lot. 
The latter street was one hundred feet wide and the 
central fifty feet was being graded down several 
feet, leaving a high bank on each side, so that there 
would be no entrance to the lot from this direction. 
Along the south side of this street, about seven feet 
from the lot line, were a number of burr oaks and 
hickory trees of exceptional vigor and perfection. 
In talking with the assistant city engineer, who hap- 
pened to be inspecting the work of grading the 
street, I suggested that the sidewalk be placed a few 
feet north of the trees and that the ground slope 
from the sidewalk down to the street, leaving the 
surface near the trees unchanged. There was no 
objection to this arrangement excepting that the 
city council passed an ordinance requiring sidewalks 
to be placed four feet from lot lines. This would 
take out all the trees on this street and also a fine 
large elm and two hickories on the east side of the 
lot. The engineer thought the removal of the trees 
would be necessary. The burr oaks in question 
had an abundance of large dark-green leaves. They 
made a beautiful background for the lot and an a- 
greeable shade for those passing along the street. 
They were too large to move, and every rational 
consideration demanded their preservation. I know 
men who would be willing to give from one to two 
hundred dollars a piece for trees as good as the ones 
which the city official would destroy without a 
though of doing injury. A slight deviation of the 
sidewalk would make no difference in the time re- 
quired to walk over it. The planting of the slope 
with some shrubs, and the preservation of the trees, 
would make a beautiful effect along this street and 
would help hide the barns. 
I mention the above facts to show how thought- 
less many people are in regard to trees, and to call 
attention to one of the chief difficulties one has to 
contend with in his efforts to make beautiful streets 
and beautiful grounds. The ordinary city engineer 
is a good deal like a machine which must always do 
its work in a prescribed way. He does not look at 
anything from an artistic point of view. To him, 
a piece of moulding cut out by a shaper is hand- 
somer than a bit of Swiss carving. The City Coun- 
cil or the Board of Public Works may help to deface 
the city, but ordinances affecting public improve- 
ments are generally suggested or have to be ap- 
proved by the city engineer. 
Public streets are features of a city which every- 
one must use. They may have variety and beauty, 
or they may be commonplace and ugly. They may 
entertain, instruct and refresh, or they may annoy 
and oppress those who use them. One or two lect- 
ures on the artistic treatment of the borders of pub- 
lic highways, would be a valuable add tion to a col- 
lege course in civil engineering. 
0. C. Simonds. 
The Onondaga County, (N. Y.) Cemetery Association. 
The Onondaga County Cemetery Association 
was organized, at Syracuse, N. Y., on August 29th., 
by the adoption of a constitution and the election 
of the following officers: George H. Wicks, Pres- 
ident, Skaneateles; W. W. Newman, Secretary, 
South Onondaga; James Barnes, Treasurer, Syra- 
cuse; B. C. Chaffee, Syracuse, Jonathan Wyckoff, 
Onondaga, Henry Kinney, Otisco, N. O. Hoyt, 
Lafayette, William Rice, Elbridge, and C. W. Al- 
lis, Skaneateles, Vice-presidents; E. W. Mundy, Li- 
brarian, Syracuse. B. Chaffee, and L, S. Cleve- 
land, were appointed a Legislative Committee. 
Among the general business transacted was the 
passage of the following resolutions: 
Resolved, That the thanks of the association and the peo- 
pie it represents are extended to the press of the country for 
kindly assistance in cemetery improvement; and we ask for its 
inestimable co-operation in the future. 
Resolved, That we ask the Board of Supervisors to vote 
authority and means to enlarge the County Poor House Cem- 
etery or select a new site on the county farm; and to provide 
cheap headmarks with names and dates for each future grave. 
Resolved, That we request the Cornell Agricultural Exper- 
iment Station to publish one or more rural cemetery bulletins. 
Resolved, That the recent change of the Skaneateles Cem- 
etery from not one on record of a burial to over 2,300 now 
recorded, is an example worthy of all praise and is recom- 
mended to every cemetery. 
Resolved, That we request the officials of Oakwood Cem- 
etery to keep the thirty volumes of European Cemetery and 
Art Literature, given by Andrew D. White, on reference 
shelves in the Central Library of Syracuse for public use. 
Resolved, That we request all cemeteries and citizens to 
aid in removing from abandoned farm burying grounds to re- 
spectable cemeteries the remains and monumental records of 
Revolutionary soldiers and all other pioneer settlers of Onon- 
daga County. 
A number of exhibits from different cities 
and cemeteries, in the way of photographs, models 
of appurtenances etc. were on view, as well as peri- 
odicals and other literature of value to cemetery in- 
terests, 
