84 
PARK AND CEMETERK 
Annual reports or extracts from them , historical sketches , 
descriptive circulars , photographs of improvements or dis- 
tinctive features are requested for use in this department . 
The women of Clarksville, Tenn., have organized a Civic 
Improvement Association. The special object of the organ- 
ization will be to promote the beautifying of the streets, 
squares, highways and the premises of private citizens. The 
society will aim to co-operate as far as it may with the city 
authorities in the matter of keeping the streets free of all 
unsightly objects. The first step in this direction was the 
passage by the city council of an ordinance debarring the 
town cow and the town hog from the streets. 
* * * 
Village improvement workers will find much interesting and 
suggestive material in an article entitled “The Ideal Village” 
in the June issue of The World’s Work. It tells how a 
village may be made a delight to the eye, and gives many 
illustrations of successful improvement work in New England 
villages. In the same number is another article of great 
value to those interested in the improvement of country 
school grounds. It is called “Common Sense Country 
Schools,” and tells how school methods in one county in 
Illinois have been modernized. The improvement in the 
buildings and grounds is well shown in a number of illus- 
trations from photographs. 
* * * 
The Belfast Improvement Society, Belfast, Me., a sum- 
mary of whose work was given in this department in May, 
closed its year’s work by securing an appropriation for the 
purchase of a park site for which it has been working for a 
number of years. This result was finally accomplished by the 
presentation to the council of a huge petition signed by all 
of the leading tax payers of the city. The reports of the 
officers presented at the recent annual meeting showed a 
membership of 128. The society has expended $522.53 and 
has a balance of $135.10 in the treasury. The working 
force consists of an executive committee of 22 members 
and the following other committees : Forestry ; Sanitary and 
Street Vigilance ; Entertainment ; Children’s Auxiliary ; Flow- 
ers and Parks; Buildings, Vacant Lots and Unsightly Places; 
and Soliciting and Membership. 
* * * 
The Framingham Improvement Association, Framingham, 
Mass., is turning its present efforts to the improvement of 
school grounds and to securing a building for the Associa- 
tion. The Normal School grounds have been made an ob- 
ject lesson to the town and are described in the local paper 
as a “beautiful picture of lawn and park.” The High School 
grounds are to receive attention next, and although the 
space there is more limited, shrubbery and flowers are to 
be planted between the building and the street. The old 
town hall which the village has outgrown, is now unused, 
and the Association is planning to remodel it and use it as 
a headquarters for town improvement work, and a forum 
where meetings and discussions can be held. 
♦ * * 
Those who are particular about following the fashions of 
Paris, will be glad to learn that prize planting contests for 
the beautifying of balconies, windows and house fronts, are 
being conducted on a large scale in that metropolis of fashion. 
A “flowered window-sill contest” has been arranged by 
artists, with the approval and co-operation of public officials. 
Rich and poor alike have joined in this beautiful competi- 
tion. Seed and plant houses have agreed to contribute seeds, 
bulbs, cuttings, etc., to those who cannot well afford to buy. 
It is said that even factory workers have applied for soil 
and plants with which to decorate their window sills. When 
the date is agreed upon, a committee duly appointed is to 
travel all through the city, inspecting every house and award- 
ing prizes according to the tastes displayed and the compara- 
tive means of those competing. 
* * * 
The Village Improvement Society of Natick, Mass., is 
perfecting its organization for systematic work. At a re- 
cent meeting of the executive committee, it was voted to di- 
vide the town into districts and apportion each district to a 
general solicitor who shall have general charge of procur- 
ing members from that district. A committee was appointed 
to have general charge of the work. The Society is to place 
12 receptacles for rubbish at convenient points in the village 
and educate the public to use them. Some of the other 
work mapped out for the immediate future includes the 
improvement of several unoccupied buildings ; the removal of 
partly burned structures ; the beautifying of an unsightly 
vacant lot ; and the removal of signs and placards from trees 
and telegraph poles. The society is fortunate in having the 
co-operation of the Selectmen who have promised their as- 
sistance in every way possible. Their influence has already 
been used to prevent the placing of an unsightly pipe which 
the gas company wanted to run over the railing of the 
Washington street bridge. The local paper says of the so- 
city’s work : “It is pleasing to note that the society has 
got well started and in the right direction. We imagine 
that many toes will be trodden on in the effort to make 
‘Natick beautiful,’ and while it may hurt a little, the pain will 
not be lasting and the squeezing will not be without some 
good results.” 
0 :js :Jc * 
The City Improvement Society of Portsmouth, N. H., at its 
recent second annual meeting listened to an address on Civic 
Improvement by J. Woodward Manning of Boston, and 
heard some encouraging reports of officers. The following ex- 
tracts from the report of Secretary Alfred Gooding will give 
some idea of the society’s activities during the year : “The 
executive committee has held during the year four meetings 
for the consideration of business. Last autumn thirty-four 
trees were set out, most of which are in a flourishing condi- 
tion this spring. Of the total number of trees planted by 
the committee since the association was organized, more 
than seventy are now growing vigorously and promise to 
become large and handsome trees. The committee for the 
improvement of the south pond reports progress and hopes 
to be able soon to present definite and practical plans for the 
work. The society appropriated $50 for prizes to school boys 
for destroying nests of brown tail moths. The result was that 
4650 nests were brought by the schoolboys to the office of the 
superintendent of schools and there burned. As each undis- 
turbed nest is computed to send out at least 200 caterpillars 
it may be reckoned that by the small expenditure of $38 
the Improvement association has rid the town of 930,000 vo- 
racious insects which would have wrought havoc among the 
trees and bushes of the gardens and lawns. And the actual 
results are even greater because many owners of trees joined 
in the campaign against these destroyers of foilage and hun- 
dreds of nests were burned of which no report has been 
made 
