PARK AND CEMETERY. 
33 
The Village Improvement Society of Belfast, Me., 
had the streets of the town cleared of rubbish and 
loose paper for “Old Home Week,” and were so well 
pleased with the results of this out-of-door house 
cleaning that they voted to have it attended to every 
week, and have employed some one to do it. 
The Danvers (Mass.) Improvement Society con- 
tinues to prove itself an active, up-to-date organiza- 
tion. On Oct. 3d it held a carnival so ambitious in 
scope and successful in results as to rouse the envy 
and admiration of other clubs. 
Its scheme included the closing of stores and 
schools ; a coaching parade and trades procession, 
with school floats, bicyclists, etc. ; an elaborate fire- 
men’s contest consisting of hose laying, connectings 
and stream throwing; continuous vaudeville during 
the afternoon ; athletic sports in the park, bicycle road 
race, etc., and a grand ball in the town hall in the 
evening. Suitable prizes were given in all of the 
contests. 
Mr. Charles W. Garfield, of Grand Rapids, Mich., 
writes us concerning a plan for town improvement 
which is bearing good fruit, and is a worthy example 
for other localities. The movement had its inception 
in the effort of the Grand River Valley Horticultural 
Society to interest employers of labor in the homes 
of their employees. They now have a permanent 
committee composed of a number of leading citizens 
of the city, who propose to offer a series of prizes 
for the best home improvements, such as attractive 
window effects with plants and vines, improvement 
of back yards, screening of unsightly foundations, 
etc. They are to hold mass-meetings, and give 
magic-lantern views illustrating the best methods of 
procedure. 
Mr. Sidney J. Hare, superintendent and land- 
scape gardener. Forest Hill Cemetery, Kansas City, 
recently read a paper before the Greenwood Club 
of that city, entitled, “Beautify Our Home Grounds.” 
He maintained that the way to make the city beau- 
tiful was to induce individual citizens to beautify 
their own grounds. In this connection he used these 
words: “Should the park board offer $5,000 yearly 
in prizes — divided into small amounts — for best-kept 
lawns; best and neatest planted front or back yard; 
best and most artistically planted yard of hardy trees 
and shrubs ; best individual specimens of trees or 
shrubs set out two years, etc., we would see in Kan- 
sas City a greater change in five years, than the park 
board would otherwise be able to make in ten. ” 
The New Jersey Floricultural Society, Orange, 
N. J., last year inaugurated a movement for increas- 
ing a love of flowers among the school children of 
the Orange and Montclair municipalities that has 
proven so successful it will be repeated again this 
year. Mr. Joseph B. Davis, secretary of the society, 
writes interestingly of the work done. Last May the 
society distributed 5,000 crysanthemum plants to the 
school children, accompanied by a book giving com- 
plete directions for their cultivation. Cash prizes 
were offered for special merit shown in cultivating 
them, these prizes to be distributed at an exhibition 
to be held in October. There were offered three 
prizes of $7.00, $5.00 and $3.00 for individual excel- 
lence, and also a number of others for effective dis- 
plays by the different school's. The work of the dif- 
ferent schools was arranged in groups, and the exhi- 
bition lasted an entire day. It was opened by the 
mayor of Orange, and was made a gala occasion for 
the city. The children took a lively interest. Some 
of the work showed decided merit, especially in re- 
gard to foliage, and was so encouraging that special 
contributions will be taken up this year to defray the 
expenses of the work. 
The Riverside Press, Riverside, Cal., gives an 
account of a lecture delivered by Mr. C. M. Loring 
to the citizens of that town on beautifying the streets, 
in which he gave some practical hints that other 
cities would do well to observe. After telling how 
many European cities made even their business 
streets attractive by trees and grassy spots, Mr. 
Loring emphasized the natural beauties of Riverside, 
and gave some specific directions for improving their 
streets and home grounds as follows : Authorize 
trustees to plant, remove, and care for street trees, 
and assess property owners for cost of the work ; 
create the office of city forester; reduce width of 
driveway on residence streets, and keep planting 
spaces clean; induce property owners to adopt a 
regular alignment of buildings, and to maintain neat 
lawns ; prohibit advertisements from trees, other 
natural objects, telegraph and electric light poles; 
enforce the ordinance against hitching horses to 
trees ; keep drives and streets well sprinkled ; plant 
trees where needed, and remove them where too 
thickly planted; plant more deciduous trees. “The 
whole city,” said Mr. Loring, “should be a work of 
art. Even packing houses and manufacturing insti- 
tutions can be made more attractive with vines.” 
From the Dayton Evening Herald, Dayton, O., 
we learn of a movement toward municipal improve- 
ment in the way of park and landscape work that 
promises to bring results of great benefit to the city. 
Through the efforts of the Montgomery County 
Horticultural Society and the visit of Mr. Babcock, a 
landscape gardener from Cleveland, the people have 
been aroused to the necessity of making the most of 
their natural facilities for parks and landscape plant- 
ing. Mr. Babcock is at work on some private 
grounds, and a plan has been proposed for develop- 
ing handsome parks at each end of the city and con- 
necting them with a driveway. At the southern end 
it is proposed, by planting, grading and road build- 
ing, to turn the Fair Grounds into a park. 
