2 :o 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
rnRK noTEi 
Tliroiit<h the activity- of the Park and Pioulevard Association 
of yuincy, Illinois, an era of tree ])lanting and ont-door im- 
provement seems to be o])ening np for that city. The a.s.socia- 
tion has made arrangements for the supply and planting of trees 
at cost. They jiropo.se to tdirnish nnr.sery grown shade trees, de- 
sirable a.s regards kind and condition at 40 cents each, and in- 
cluding setting out at 55 cents. Surely ])ro])erty owners would 
not hesitate to improve their frontage on these terms. 
* ^ * 
A call was recently sent out by the Parks and Forestry Com- 
mittee of the Asheville, X. C., Board of Trade to all persons in- 
terested in fore.st preservation, and in the establishment of a Na- 
tional Southern park in the Southern .\llegheny Mountains, for 
an Inter-State Convention to be held at that place November 
22nd. The pnrpo.se of the conventi(m is to form a permanent 
a.ssociation, to induce Congress to establi.sh a National Southern 
Park, and to influence legi.slation in favor of scientific forestry. 
X X X 
The busine.ss acumen of the Japanese people is daily a.ssert- 
ing itself. Prominent repre.sentative Japs have asked of the 
South Park Commissioners, Chicago, the privilege of sending 
men to take care of the buildings donated to Chicago at the close 
of the World's Fair, and to erect in addition, buildings for grow- 
ing Japane.se lilies and a Iniilding in which visitors to the park 
may rest and drink tea free of charge. It is not intended as a 
means of adverti.sing products but the country and its govern- 
ment. 
XXX 
The amount expended for flowers for the public squares of 
Baltimore, has created a temporary difference between the comp- 
troller and the Park board. In 1897 the Park Department .spent 
15596.58 for flowers for the squares, and $5321.40 for labor, 
which does not include the salaries of the superintendents. In 
1898 the amount spent for flowers was $6249.62 and for labor 
$ 5578 - 33 - Under the new system provided for in the charter, 
when all the squares will come under the direct control of the 
Park Board, the latter hopes to work many economies and in the 
case of the flowers there seems to be a ripe field. 
At a recent meeting of the executive committee of the Park 
Commission of Wilmington, Del., the new Century Club was 
given permission to label the different varieties of trees in Bran- 
dywine park, as a method of stimulating the study of forestry- 
The committee expre.ssed gratification in allowing the privilege 
which will be of great benefit to students. Plans for the label- 
ing have not been completed, but the lables will be about six 
inches long, and will contain both the botanical name of the 
tree as well as the common name. A scheme will be adopted for 
each variety of tree so that compari.sons may be made between 
the growths. 
* * * 
This is healthy advice from the local paper of a small town. 
In connection with an approjn'iation for park purpo.ses in the 
town, the St. Louis, Mich., has the following to say: 
"Money expended on the park is money expended for all the 
people of the city and for that rea.son will not be begrudged if 
re.sults can be seen, 3 Ve do not know how the council proposes 
to spend the money nor does it presume to dictate but it would 
suggest that a little of this sum he used in the spring to plant in 
more trees and shrubbery and that our native trees and shrubs 
he planted. Make the park a field museum of native trees and 
shrubs; they may take a little longer to grow but the park is to 
last for all time.” 
X X X 
The annual report of Commissioners of the general land 
office, recently issued, shows a grand total of 929,308,068 acres 
of unappropriated and unreserved ])ublic land in the United 
States. There were 150,541 acres certified or patented a.s swamp 
lands during the year; of Indian and miscellaneous land, 212,- 
S4S acres; 420,760 acres .selected by the various states and terri- 
tories were certified for educational and other purposes; under 
railroad grants there were certified 504,651 acres, with 60,392 
acres for wagon road con.struction. The commissioner suggests 
the enlargement of the ISIount Ranier National Park in \Va.sh- 
ington and the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Pro- 
tection against forest fires is especially urged. 
X X X- 
Mr. John 1 ). Rockefeller has made another donation to the 
Cleveland jiark board of $225,000 to construct arches and road- 
ways under the I^ake fShore railwa}' for the pur])ose of connect- 
ing ('lordon ])ark with Rockefeller park, which he gave the city, 
and for roadways and arches under Superior street to connect 
two .sections of Rockefeller park. This brings the approximate 
amount of his donation to the park fund to nearly a million of 
dollars. (lordon park was pre.sented to the city by Mr. W. J. 
Gordon, Wade jxirk by Mr. J. II. Wade, Shaker Ilights by the 
.Shaker Land Co., .\mhler parkway by Curtis & Ambler, and 
Mr. Rockefeller gave money to the board to buy all the con- 
necting links. The land acquired by Mr. Rockefeller's bene- 
ficence comprises all the land from Gordon to Shaker Mights, 
e.xcepting Wade park and the parkway. This land was pur- 
chased at a cost of $700,000. Cleveland has been particularly 
favored in such munificent gifts. 
XXX 
For several years the question of public parks has been dis- 
cus.sed by the citizens of Stillwater, Minn., and being submitted 
to the voters at the recent election it was decided by a majority 
of about four to one, that the time had come to take decisive ac- 
tion in the matter. This re.sult is doubtless due, in large degree, 
to the interest which the ladies of the city have aroused bv their 
efforts to promote such improvements. The park committee of 
the city council are considering .several proposed sites and have 
called on Mr. I'jfank H. Nutter, landscape architect of Minne- 
apolis, Minn., to advise with them in the selection of Jands 
situated on the high bluffs at the head of Lake St. Croix and at 
the foot of the river gorge which .some twenty-five miles further 
north terminates in the celebrated "Dalles- of the St. Croix” at 
the Inter-state park. .Stillwater ])re.sents many features of .strik- 
ing natural beauty, and it is to be hoped that liberal plans 
will be adopted to preserve some of them, at least, for all time. 
XXX 
The board of commi.ssioners of Audubon park. New Orleans, 
have decided to carry out the suggestions of Mr. Olm.sted as 
outlined in his report on the improvement of that park. The 
keynote of his design is to make the park truly southern. The 
foliage of Louisiana vegetation is in itself extremely beautiful 
and luxuriant, and naturally a.ssumes, where it is grouped, the 
most picturesque forms. That foliage alone is particularly- de- 
lighting to people who come here from northern climates, and 
they have repeatedly complained, says the Picayune from an ar- 
tistic standpoint, that so little use of it had been made in even 
as small a park as Lafayette. Mt. Olmsted has also expre.ssed 
the idea that the structures, such as buildings for .shelter and 
other purposes, gateways, lodges and the like, be built to con- 
form to the history and traditions, of the city, and be made 
characteristic of the races that founded and built it. Therefore 
it is suggested such constructions be in the French and Spanish 
styles of the time of the founding, and that even touches char- 
acteristic of Mexico would not be out of place, all of which will 
find response in the minds of landscape architects. 
