PARK AND CEMETERY. 
169 
PARK NOTES. 
Among a number of bids invited for park construction 
work in New York city by the park commissioners, the price 
for supplying and laying asphalt hexagonal paving tiles for an 
amount of 110,600 square feet including borders, in Brooklyn 
parks, ranged between 17 and 20 cents per square foot. 
Mrs. Harry A. Richardson, of Dover, Del , has developed a 
part of her farm abutting on Silver Lake, above town, and 
founded a park for the use of the public. She has provided it 
with appropriate buildings and other park appurtenances, and 
will continue the work of beautifying the tract for the benefit 
of the people. 
•St * * 
The work of planting some 2o',ooo trees on Schenley and 
Highland Parks, Pittsburg, Pa., is under way. Soft maples 
and hardwood trees are being planted in close proximity, the 
former to provide early shade. In addition to this some ten 
shelter sheds are to be built in Schenley and six in Highland 
parks. They will have wooden floors and will be provided 
with seats. 
* * * 
\Vm. H. Eder, Elkton, Md., has donated 25 acres of land 
situated along the banks of Big Elk creek, to the south of the 
town, to that city for a public park. To make the gift effective 
and provide for its management, an act of legislature was se- 
cured for incorporation. Maryland has not been favored with 
many public parks in its smaller cities and the public spirit of 
Mr. Eder, it is hoped, will stimulate others to like gifts. 
* * * 
The park commissioners of Taunton, Mass., have, under 
recent legislation, taken over the care and control of the public 
trees and cemeteries, but according to their annual report just 
received, they are sorely straitened by lack of funds. They, 
however, have begun practical operations and have been instru- 
mental in securing the passage of ordinances for the protection 
of the trees. A case is reported where they made good an old 
tree on Fremont street which has a cavity in its trunk over two 
feet deep. This was filled with cement which was afterwards 
painted, and thus repaired the tree will still have many years 
of usefulness. 
* » » 
Public baths were established this summer on Harriet 
island, in the Mississippi river opposite St. Paul, Minn. It is 
an ideal place for such a project, partially overflowed by spring 
freshets, but covered by a thick growth of willows with some 
fine elms interspersed. Apparently useless for other purposes 
it is just the location for a bathing establishment. The build- 
ing stands on stilts above high water, and the water is pure and 
uncontaminated. The beach is a gradual slope and that part 
used exclusively for bathing is fenced in. A lunch counter is 
provided, restricted in its refreshment supplies. This benefi- 
cent public necessity is due to the zeal and public spirit of Dr. 
Ohage, the health commissioner, who has the unstinted com- 
mendation of the people. ^ ^ ^ 
San Jose, Calif., is among the pioneer cities in passing or- 
dinances regulating the bill board nuisance and it has been 
upheld by the Superior court of the county. It is giving gen- 
eral satisfaction. According to California Municipalities, its 
terms are; It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corpor- 
ation to erect, build or maintain in the city of San Jose, any 
fence, building or other structure of or to a greater height than 
ten feet from the street, sidewalk or ground where the same is 
erected, built, constructed or maintaiued, for the purpose of 
painting thereon any sign or advertisement for advertising 
purposes, or posting thereon, or affixing or attaching thereto, 
or thereon, any bills, signs, or other advertising matter for ad- 
vertising purposes. A violation of the provisions of the ordi- 
nance involves a fine of |roo or imprisonment for 30 days. 
* • * 
The fortieth annual report of the Park Commissioners of 
Hartford, Conn., affords some interesting reading, enhanced 
by maps and a number of fine half tones. The total park area 
of Hartford is now I2od acres, comprising seven large park 
areas and ten small parks containing an aggregate of eight 
acres. The larger parks are: Keney park, 665 acres; South 
park, 200 acres; Elizabeth park, 100 acres; Pope park, 90 acres; 
Riverside park, 80 acres; Bushnell park, 42 acres and Capitol 
grounds 15 acres. From May i, 1896, to April 30, 1900, the 
commissioners have expended on purchase of lands and care 
and control of the park system the sum of ^374,560.23. By gift 
of the late Charles M. Pond, the city received in 1897, $114,- 
602.53 to be expended for beautifying and completing Elizabeth 
park. Mr. Theodore Wirth gives interesting details of a 
large amount of improvement in progress. In Pope park 
some 30,000 trees and shrubs were planted. In Elizabeth 
park, the gift of Mr. Charles M. Pond, in memory of his wife, 
the improvement has consisted principally in the making of 
roads and paths and the necessary grading and filling. The 
plans for this park were prepared by Mr. Wirth. The 
nurseries are maintained in a healthy condition and the 
balance sheet explains their value in the park economy. The 
superintendent is strongly advocating an extension of the 
plant, with the addition of a conservatory for public display 
purposes. The total amount expended for labor for the fiscal 
year ending April 30, 1900, was 164,123.73. The average num- 
ber of men employed throughout the year was 119 and teams 15. 
* * *■ 
The Park and Boulevard Commission, of Detroit, Mich., 
has recently issued its eleventh annual report, which contains 
much interesting matter, finely illustrated. The general super- 
intendent’s report voices a stereotyped complaint of park com- 
missioners generally. It says that owing to the insufficient 
appropriations for last year, much of the work was left undone, 
which caused an increased cost in putting parks in condition 
during the first two months of the present fiscal year. He 
further says: “The general aim has been to keep the entire 
sj’stem in a neat and tidy condition and to that end careful 
attention was given to resodding the worn-out places in down- 
town parks, and making other necessary improvements. 
There is still great need for improvements along this line and a 
lack of funds to meet the ever-increasing requirements of a 
rapidly growing system makes it necessary to limit such im- 
provement and care more than what is consistent with the 
.standard set by this well-kept city.” By the courtesy of A. O. 
F'arwell, the botanist, the report contains a valuable feature in 
a nearly complete flora of Detroit and the park system, of 
which the following is the summary of special varieties and 
forms: Pteridophyta, 13; monocotyledones, 232; choripetalae, 
364; and gamopetalae, 252; making a total of 861. In the sec- 
retary’s report the financial statement shows the following: 
general maintenance, $38,525.67; general improvements, |6,- 
398.50; Belle Isle maintenance, $36,737.22; Belle Isle improve- 
ments, $23,534.13; boulevard maintenance, $10,009.01; boule- 
V rd improvements, $15,344.32; Palmer park maintenance, $4,- 
325.83; Palmer park and parkway improvements, $7,083.07; 
Clark park maintenance, $4,732.83; city parks’ maintenance, 
$7,663.63; city parks improvements, $4,278.20— a total expendi- 
ture of $159,078.99; which, with other incidentals, gives a 
grand total of $160,319.70. 
