PARK AND CEMETERY 
and Landscape Gardening. 
VOL. XIII CHICAGO, NOVEMBER, 1903 No, 9 
The New ParK at San Diego, Cal. 
By M. B. Coulston, Secretary Park Improvement Committee. 
The early inauguration of improvements on a 
park tract of 1,400 acres in San Diego, California, was 
noted in a sketch in the February issue of “Park and 
Cemetery”, and this work has now taken practical 
shape in a definite beginning. All the natural and eco- 
nomic conditions of park making in California differ 
vitally from those of the East, so that the problem of 
San Diego is interesting on the Atlantic side of the 
country through many points of contrast, and in this 
along their northern, eastern, and southern boundaries, 
and stretch away to the east, where the densely shrub- 
covered mesas merge into foothills of the outlying 
country. Ranges and peaks of mountains reach from 
north to south at a distance of 20 to 50 miles, all clear- 
ly in sight and seemingly much nearer in the marvel- 
ously clear atmosphere of this country. Mountains, 
promontories, and islands of Mexico are in the near-by 
landscape, and San Diego Bay, the city itself, Coro- 
A CANYADA VIEW IN THE SAN IHEOO PARK TRACT. 
state, because it offers valuable experience from which 
other cities on this coast not yet provided with parks 
may gain. 
Given a natural unimproved, treeless area of 1,400 
acres in a section of country where mild summer weath- 
er prevails throughout the year, with an average annual 
rainfall of 10 inches and no precipitation from May to 
November ; with only a limited supply of city water 
for irrigation, and some of the natural conditions are 
suggested. Hard pan crops out almost everywhere 
and extends down deep ; the soil is very compact, need- 
ing a pick before it can be spaded or shoveled, and in 
many cases requiring powder before it can be worked. 
Skilled horticultural workers are almost unknown, and 
laborers earn $2.00 to $2.50 a day. 
The park lands skirt the built-up portion of the city 
nado Beach, and the Pacific to the far western horizon 
are all adjoining neighbors of the park. 
But the development of this unique piece of public 
land is the special interest of this time. With rare aes- 
thetic and generous public spirit, Mr. George W. Mars- 
ton, of San Diego, personally engaged the landscape 
architect firm of Samuel Parsons & Co., of New 
York, to make a study and plan for the park. Mr. Par- 
sons spent ten days in this work on the ground in De- 
cember last. Mr. George Cooke, his very efficient 
partner, was in San Diego five weeks, having left for 
New York on August 27th, to return next January 
for two months’ work here. Mr. Cooke brought with 
him in July the completed plans for roadways and 
footpaths, these having been prepared in the New York 
office from a contour map. He at once set to work to 
