Editorial JSlote 
City Forester, or Gardener ? 
Mr. Joseph Meehan, for whose opinion on tilings 
horticultural we have the highest respect, takes excep- 
tion to the term “City Forester" as the title of the of- 
ficial whose civic duties cover the care of the trees. 
Gardening operations are becoming divided into so 
many sections, that to designate the head of each de- 
partment, it is a difficult matter to assign titles so as 
to convey an understanding of the particular work of 
the titled official. Mr. Meehan suggests that “City 
Gardener" is more comprehensive, and he is right; 
but where the gardening of the city is subdivided, 
with a head to each subdivision, what shall we call the 
man who has charge of the care of the trees ? That is 
the question in this case, and we think this an oppor- 
tune time to try to settle it, before it becomes irre- 
vocably established. 
^ ^ 
The Calaveras Groves, California. 
After many years of effort to save the big Sequoias 
in the Calaveras Groves, California, the prospects are 
favorable for a consummation of the people’s hopes 
in this direction. Considering that these giant trees 
are now among the wonders of the world, and that 
the two groves in California contain the only exam- 
ples left of this magnificent class of trees, it is surpris- 
ing that it has cost so much effort to command their 
preservation. It is a striking example of the power of 
commercialism, which we have allowed to run riot, to 
control the higher motives of our civilization. Even 
now, as it has been for so long in the fight to save the 
trees, there is evidently a desire on the part of certain 
interested owners to “hold up" the government, in the 
event of Congress passing the measure, but there can 
be no doubt of the ability of the government to enforce 
private acquiescence in public demands when voiced bv 
Congress. It is pleasing to realize that the act to se- 
cure the groves for the people will soon be passed. 
After the splendid work of the Women’s Clubs of the 
country, the special message of the President, and the 
more sympathetic feeling of Congress toward the proj- 
ect, we may safely rest satisfied that our big trees will 
be preserved to give the scientists food for further 
investigation into their origin and antiquity, and the 
people the advantages of a national park of universal 
importance. In another column will be found an 
article on the subject of special interest, as giving 
more details of the admirable work of the Women’s 
Clubs in the matter. 
^ ^ ^ 
Good Roads ana the Brovonlovo Bill. 
The Good Roads problem is a matter that should 
have received the attention of both the State and 
Federal governments long since. People who have 
traveled in progressive European countries have al- 
ways been impressed with the excellence of their road 
and Comment. 
systems generally, and looking at the vast agricultural 
and internal commercial interests of this country, the 
fact that so iittle practical attention has been paid to 
road building is really an enigma. It is and has been 
all along a serious economic question, not one involving 
any doubt or unknown quantity, for no intelligent citi- 
zen can be found to contradict the assertion that a good 
road pays and pays well, and that a poor one is a con- 
stant loss, which can almost be calculated to an ex- 
actness. The good roads campaign of the past year 
or more is happily awakening widespread interest, but 
it has been evident that a stimulus was needed as a 
practical starter. It is quite more than probable that 
this may be found in what is called the Brownlow Bill, 
now before Congress, presented by Col. W. P. Brown- 
low, M. C., from Tennessee. In the main the bill pro- 
vides an appropriation of $24,000,000 as a national aid 
for the building of wagon roads, to be distributed 
among the states, according to population, and on con- 
dition that the states provide like amounts. There 
would seem to be no good reason why the government 
should not be equally liberal in the cause of good roads 
to promote the welfare of the producer, as in that of 
rivers and harbors for the carrier. The road question 
is becoming daily of such great importance that our 
readers, as a matter of duty, should make it a point 
immediately to urge their representatives in Congress 
to vote for the measure. 
•? if x* 
Arbitrary Rules and the Modern Cemetery. 
The modern cemetery, in other words, a cemetery 
conducted on the lawn plan, necessarily calls for more 
stringent adherence to the requirements of that method 
of treatment, than the old style burial ground, where 
every lot owner dwelt under the impression that he 
could improve his lot just as he saw fit. The modern 
cemetery demands that each lot shall be treated as a 
part of the whole, and is so treated, so that infringe- 
ments of rules by lot owners * covering the question 
of decoration or improvement, become a damage, not 
only to the lot so affected, but to every lot within the 
view. This condition of the lawn plan, therefore, 
requires that the rules and regulations devised for its 
maintenance shall be, within reason, arbitrarily en- 
forced. From the right point of view this means that 
every lot in the cemetery shall be treated with a view 
to the beauty of the whole cemetery, and it follows, of 
course, to its own best interests. The modern ceme- 
tery can also be said to oppose most radically the Sun- 
day funeral, for it is the Sunday funeral with its attend- 
ant crowds that mar the grounds to an incalculable ex- 
tent besides robbing the funeral of its sacred char- 
acter. If we are to have beautiful cemeteries, and they 
should be beautiful, appropriate and beneficial rules and 
regulations must be enforced, and the question of arbi- 
trariness does not enter into the discussion. 
