252 
PARK AND CEMETEF^Y. 
ful attention to its crying needs. It is quite pos- 
sible in any locality to create an enthusiasm for 
such work, if business vim and practical knowledge 
combine in the endeavor. The result in a' short 
time would be as convincing in its effect as the 
necessity is now so generally apparent. 
T he entrancing beauty of our public parks in 
the spring season, when bud and blossom 
vie with each other to create a harmony of 
delightful tones and tints, as nature awakens to ful- 
fill her summer’s destiny, brings to the student, 
whether official or otherwise, new suggestions or 
emphasized old ones, as the case may be. In this 
age of improving knowledge of nature’s laws, both 
the public park and cemetery bear an important 
part. They are the main exponents of the art of 
the landscape architect or gardener, wherein by the 
more intimate knowledge of trees and plants and 
nature’s methods of arrangement and design, ac- 
quired by special study and innate bent, effects are 
produced of so varied range and proportions, that 
within the limits of the single park or cemetery we 
may refresh our senses with landscape pictures so 
different in detail and coloring, that long days of 
travel might fail to realize for us. In this very fact 
rests the idea of valuable educational privileges; 
for to learn to appreciate nature’s wisdom, in con- 
nection with her limitless resources, all to be in 
part appropriated by the faithful observer, elevates 
and inspires the inner man to higher thoughts and 
higher aims while relatively refreshing his physical 
being. But this appreciation creates an appetite 
to learn more of the physical details of the effects 
which produce the impression, and there follows 
the desire to know what tree is this and what shrub 
is that? And here most of our parks and perhaps 
all our cemeteries declare the inquirer must seek 
no farther. The why not is undoubtedly expressed 
in the view that, the importance of naming the trees 
and plants in our parks has been generally over- 
looked. That it is important, the awakening public 
interest in landscape work asserts, even without 
the larger fact that the study of botany as well as 
horticulture is being pursued with avidity by large 
classes in our public institutions of learning as well 
as, in a primary sense, our public schools. Our 
public parks, and why not our cemeteries, should 
be object lessons in this direction, and would form 
excellent aids not only in imparting practical knowl- 
edge, but in aiding to retain that knowledge by 
those separated by conditions from its centres. 
Park commissioners should not delay any longer 
the work of labelling the trees and plants on their 
properties, and it will be found an effective agent 
in increasing public regard for their parks and 
recreative grounds. 
Ornamental Planting for Parks and Public Grounds — 11.* 
The value of public gardens, places or greens, 
in distinction from parks, is dependent less on 
the e.xtent of their sylvan elements than on the de- 
gree of convenience with which they may be used; 
these being the most valuable, other things being 
equal, through which the greatest number of peo- 
ple may be induced to pass while following their or- 
dinary occupations, and without serious hindrance 
or inconvenience. 
Neatness and the maintenance of orderly con- 
duct among visitors in such a ground becomes also 
exceedingly difficult. It is much better to plant 
and decorate them in such a manner as will not 
destroy their openness or cause inconvenience to 
those who have occasion to cross them. For this 
purpose their plans should be simple and generally 
formal in style, their passages should be broad and 
direct, and they should be provided with seats in 
recesses (preferably) or un the borders of the 
broader paved or graveled spaces, leaving ample 
room for free movements. The green effects of 
the grass, accentuated by the shadow effects of 
trees, properly selected and grouped, should 
be made the chief and most important feature of 
their treatments. The trees should be high stem- 
med and umbrageous; flowers and delicate plants, 
little used except in vases or as fringes of architect- 
ural objects. 
Architectural adornments may properly be em- 
ployed in small parks, so long as they do not seri- 
ously interfere with the open grass effect. There 
may be even busts or statues (if artistic in de- 
sign), but especially suitable are drinking foun- 
tains, and fountain basins, with great sprays of 
water. The fountain basins may be effectively 
ornamented with lotuses, water-lilies and other de- 
corative water plants. All such adornment of 
small city squares or greens tends to appropriately 
enliven and enrich the general appearance of a 
crowded city, where the effect of everything is arti- 
ficial, and more or less formal or tedious. 
In the city, * * * it is better to plant cer- 
tain hardy, deciduous trees and shrubs, such as the 
privet, weigelia, snowball, spirje opulifolia, Amer- 
ican thorn, Philadelpheus, honey-locust, American 
linden, Norway and Sugar maples, and the Orien- 
tal plane trees, than to meet with failure by the in- 
troduction of other less hardy material. 
The Persian rug in flower or foliage plants is an 
admirable thing properly placed, but then it is not 
always in harmony with the natural effects suitable 
to a special surface of greensward. Carpet or 
ribbon gardening, artistically composed, is both 
^Extracts fiom paper read before Massachusetts HoiticuUural Soci- 
ety 1 y Wm. S. Egeiton, fcuperintcnc’ent of Albany, N. Y.. Parks. Con- 
cluded frtm March issue. 
