56 
PARK AND CeM£TCRY 
ParK Notes 
The bill appropriating $250,000 for continuing the acquisi- 
tion of land in the Adirondack Park, and the extension of 
the forest preserve in the counties of Delaware, Greene, Sul- 
livan and Ulster, passed the New York Assembly recently. 
* * * 
Progress is being made in he several states interested in 
the matter of the proposed Appalachian National Park. Bills 
have been enacted in North Carolina and Virginia promoting 
the project and it has been before the Tennessee legislature 
also. 
* * ♦ 
Stringency still prevails in the financial affairs of the Min- 
neapolis Park Board, although the amount to be expended 
for park maintenance this year is $71,205, as against $50,452 
last year. There is no money for improvements this year, 
but $4,000 will be spent in tree planting. 
* * * 
A decision has been rendered in a suit to test title to the 
Bomberger farm, a tract of 70 acres, which was bequeathed 
to the city of Lancaster, Pa., by the late Catherine H. Long 
for a public park. The decision vested the title in the city, 
which has also the legal right to act as trustee of the fund 
of $200,000 to maintain and establish the park. 
* * * 
Notwithstanding the remarkable development of the 
Quincy, 111 ., park system under the fostering care of the 
Park and Boulevard Association the proposition to assess a 
one-mill tax for park purposes was defeated at the recent 
election. The association, while disappointed, is not discour- 
aged, and is still alive to the continued development of 
Quincy parks. 
* * * 
A gift to Watertown, N. Y., is reported to be about to be 
made by relatives of the late Roswell P. Flower, and Mrs. 
Keep-Schley, of about $500,000, for a public park. The site 
selected contains some 700 acres, admirably adapted for the 
purpose. A special effort is to be made in its design for 
children including an artificial lake, one foot in depth, hav- 
ing an asphalt bottom, and a fine playground. 
ifi ifi 
The scheme for the improvement of the Fort Snelling, 
Minn., Reservation is again revived and Col. Ray, the com- 
mandant, has advised the war department that the present 
is a good time to take the matter up. A general co-opera- 
tive plan was suggested two years ago, which included the 
War department and the park boards of Minneapolis and 
St. Paul, but the war department was not prepared to par- 
ticipate. The reservation offers magnificent opportunities 
for scenic display and would form an attraction for the whole 
countrj". The authorities propose to carry out the project 
on a systematic plan. 
* * * 
The Division of Forestry of the United States proposes 
to make a thorough examination this year of the tree growth 
of the state of Nebraska, to determine if forest production 
on a large scale is possible in that region. From the results 
of the investigation the department hopes to devise means 
for improving and extending the present forest growth, and 
in the case of the treeless regions to formulate a plan of 
tree planting, whereby the waste places may be reclaimed. 
All the conditions will be carefully studied and a largely 
increased knowledge pertaining to trees and tree planting 
will be attained. It will be conducted on a broad and com 
prehensive plan. 
Decorative planting as a feature of municipal improve- 
ment is steadily gaining ground in the important cities of 
this continent. The streets and thoroughfares contiguous 
to the Parliament buildings at Ottawa, Canada, are to be 
improved by a judicious planting scheme under the super- 
vision of Dr. Saunders, director of the government exper- 
imental farm. Last fall some 27,000 young trees and shrubs 
were ordered from France and Belgium, which are to be 
planted out at the farm until required. 
* * * 
There are few cities in the country, or even in the world, 
where greater feats are performed in public constructive 
matters than in Chicago. Except that it is for Chicago, one 
would be surprised to learn that the black dirt of a 56-acre 
farm, some 50 or more miles from that city, is to be hauled 
for the purpose of completing the landscape work of Jack- 
son Park. The South Park Commissioners recently adver- 
tised for 200,000 cubic yards of black soil and received bids 
ranging from 83 cents to $1.15 per cubic yard. A spur- 
track will be built from the Illinois Central R. R. and the 
soil shipped by railroad to its destination. 
* * * 
Plans for an extensive system of roads in the Yellowstone 
National Park are under way. The whole system will com- 
prise some 390 miles of which 162 are completed. It includes 
a belt line which will pass through all the more important 
centers of interest, and approaches by which travelers reach 
the belt line from the boundaries of the park, and the side 
roads and trails which are to give access to isolated attrac- 
tions. The total mileage of belt line including some ap- 
proaches will be about 153 miles. There will be four ap- 
proaches from the boundaries, one from each border, giving 
a total length of 132 miles. Side roads will amount to 45 
miles. The roads will be on a good grade, 18 feet wide, 
with a clearing through timber of 30 feet. The bridges will 
be constructed of stone and iron. 
* * * 
Generally speaking the various park reports coming to 
hand this year show great improvement in their get-up, to 
which that of Toledo, O., is not by any means an exception. 
Toledo’s park system has been going through a period of 
considerable disturbance of late years, but nevertheless is 
progressing. The total area is 848 acres, and the principal 
parks and their areas are as follows: Riverside Park, 63 
acres; Walbridge Park, 62 acres; Ottawa Park, 280 acres; 
Collins Park, 70 acres; Navarre Park, 53 acres; Bay view 
Park, 202 acres; Central Grove Park, too acres. There are 
six smaller parks and eighteen triangles in various parts of 
the city. One of the features of Toledo is the children’s play 
ground. City Park, which is one of the best equipped for 
its special purpose in the country. 
* * * 
An educational feature of the seventh annual report of the 
Department of Parks of New Bedford, Mass., is a complete 
report of all the flora to be found in the parks of that city, 
compiled by Mr. E. William Hervey. A list is given for 
each park and both the botanical and common names are 
published. As decorative planting is now becoming a gen- 
eral question the value of this feature of park reports is ap- 
parent. Speaking of the elm-leaf beetle the report says: 
“The elm-leaf beetle which has made such progress and havoc 
within the last few years among the elm trees, made its 
appearance and attacked one or two trees, but by close at- 
tention and active measures and energetic treatment they 
were prevented from spreading or doing any damage. They 
will probably make their appearance again this spring, but 
we are fully alive to the danger and feel able to successfully 
cope with it.” This alertness on the part of those interested 
will generally minimize all insect evils. 
