164 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
Los Angeles seems to have enjoyed a park boom 
during the nineties. Eighteen hundred and ninety-two 
dates several prominent parks. Few of them are open 
to the objection so often urged, that parks are formal 
flower gardens. Seldom has any city had the power 
of developing so many beautiful natural park sites. 
Los Angeles is now said to have the largest per capita 
park acreage of any city in the country, having one 
acre of parks to every twenty-seven inhabitants. 
Sixth Street Park. — Among the minor and resi- 
dence parks, Sixth Street Park is conspicuous. It has 
many charms, not the least of which is that it is accessi- 
ble, all times of the day, to the passing crowd. Time is 
required to visit suburban parks, but in the heart of the 
city a passer-by can tarry a while in the shade of Sixth 
Street Park, and never turn out of the regular route, 
nor miss the time. 
Trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses and flowers are 
worked into an harmonious scheme. Trees, in Cali- 
fornia, mean palms, Norfolk Island pines and even 
roses. Such as these constitute the great charm of 
this ideal sylvan place of recreation, reached six ways 
from different parts of the city. 
Trained into tree form is a La Marque rose, that 
has attained such proportions that it furnishes shade, 
seats being placed under the rose-laden branches. 
Sixth Street Park is a model in regard to shade. 
The restful tone, the inviting aspect, of such a place, 
in any city, would be productive of hygienic benefit 
to throngs that would pass by glaring walks, geomet- 
rical beds and formal flower schemes. 
Echo Park. — Albeit enjoying a beautifully sugges- 
tive name, this park is known on the official maps of 
the city as “Reservoir Site No. 4.” It is situated on 
Bellevue avenue, somewhat removed from the heart 
of the city, and is distinguished for the lake, which 
covers eighteen of the thirty-three acres of which it 
is composed. The lake is long, narrow and winding. 
Bordering both sides and following the contour of the 
lake are broad driveways, shaded by trees interspersed 
with shrubs and gay with flowers of every hue. 
Pepper trees are abundant in Echo Park, and weep- 
ing willows are largely adopted. The groups of wil- 
lows are unique in effect. The long, lithe branches, 
sweeping downward, with every line of grace and 
beauty in their curvature, are like fountains of living 
green. Considering the unusual beauty of weeping 
willows, the wonder is that they are not more gen- 
erally adopted for park planting. 
Griffith Peak and Griffith Park are within view, 
above the green foothills, with range upon range of 
purple, misty mountains forming a pleasing back- 
ground. 
There are two car lines from the city to Echo Park, 
and it is the custom for crowds to daily avail them- 
selves of the ready transit to enjoy the row boats on 
the lake and the silvery, fresh fish that fill the water, 
and upon which there is no restriction. The silver- 
sides, bass, carp and trout never seem to diminish in 
numbers, despite the quantities regularly drawn from 
the lake. 
Hollenbeck Park. — The city owes the park proper 
to the generosity of Hon. W. H. Warkman. He do- 
nated sixteen acres for a city park, in 1892. Ten acres 
additional were donated by Mrs. E. Hollenbeck, 
who had previously established the large and well con- 
constructed and amply provided Hollenbeck Home, as 
a memorial to her lamented husband, J. E. Hollen- 
beck. The Home for Aged Persons (one of the best) 
faces the park, the spacious grounds adding very much 
to the scenic effect. Nestled in the hills, surrounded 
by broad, sloping green lawns as smooth and soft as 
velvet, with trees in abundance, and the private resi- 
dence and well kept grounds of Mrs. Hollenbeck, only 
the lake as bright and tranquil as a mirror is needed 
to idealize the park. 
An extensive aviary, filled with linnets, thrush, 
mocking-birds, canaries, pheasants and flamingoes, is a 
source of entertainment to all who visit the home and 
the park. 
Mrs. G. T. Drennan. 
GRASS FOR DRY SITUATIONS, 
W. W. Parce, Denver, Colo., has been experimenting 
with grasses for lawns in a dry situation and writes as 
follows in the Denver Field and Farm concerning the 
native grass known by the Department of Agriculture 
as Distichlis spicata : 
“Its chief value consists in the fact that it thrives 
on poor soil without irrigation. It forms a dense, dark 
green sward which endures much tramping without 
showing wear. It seems very strange that this species 
has not been extensively used in the arid sections of 
our country as a lawn grass for parks, cemeteries, golf 
grounds, etc. For such purposes it would seem- to be 
a godsend, and then, too, stock seem fond of it. The 
grass has a suckering root and can therefore be propa- 
gated either by plowing in roots or sowing the seed. 
M|y experiment with both ways of planting have been 
successful on a small scale. The long roots sprout and 
grow readily, and seed planted in boxes three weeks 
ago have sent up plants two inches above ground with 
but one artificial sprinkling. Wherever I have found 
this grass in the wild state it appears to take full pos- 
session of the ground, and I feel confident that if 
planted in good, deep soil and frequently mowed it 
would rival our best bluegrass lawns without the 
trouble or expense of watering. Gray’s botany speaks 
of it as a valuable pasture and lawn grass.” 
