137 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
js ^ ParK Notes 
One of the members of the South Park Commission, Chi- 
cago, has sugc'ested the novel plan of transforming 25 
acres of Jackson Park, the former site of the World’s Fair, 
into an orchard. He proposes to raise apples, grapes, peaches, 
pears, plums and cherries, and to devote a part of the plot 
to raising experimental fruits. The suggestion is regarded 
as somewhat impracticable, but will be considered by the 
commission at its meeting this month. A new bridge of red 
granite and concrete will be built at the south end of the 
wooded island in Jackson Park. It will cost $25,000, and is 
to be a copy of one designed by Richardson for a Boston park. 
* * * 
The city council of Topeka, Kas., has passed a tax levy ordir 
nance of mill for park purposes in spite of the decision of 
the city attorney that the act under which it is authorized is 
unconstitutional. The Park Commissioner act, passed by the 
legislature in 1899 has been declared unconstitutional because 
it is special legislation, providing for cities of 32,000 to 42,000 
inhabitants, when Topeka is the only city in the state of that 
size. This is the first levy under that act, the appropriation 
for parks having been formerly taken from the general im- 
provement fund. 
* 
In a recent opinion of the city attorney of Los Angeles, 
Cal., that official has decided that the park board has no 
power to make contracts, since the city’s charter vests that 
power solely in the council. The charter provides that the 
board shall have power to appoint and remove officers and 
employes of its department, but shall only perform other 
duties when authorized by ordinance of the city council. The 
section of the organic law of California touching this matter 
reads as follows : , 
“The city of Los Angeles shall not be, and is not bound 
by any contract, nor in any way liable therein, unless the 
same is made in writing by order of the council.” 
The commissioners are much displeased with this provis- 
ion, as they believe they should be independent in their de- 
partment, but can see no remedy except in a revision of the 
charter. 
* * * 
The new board of commissioners of Lincoln Park, Chi- 
cago, has presented to the assessors an itemized requisition 
for $465,850 to meet the expenses of the park for the coming 
year. Previous boards have been accustomed to ask for over 
$1,000,000 and receive less than one-fourth of that sum, but 
the present board has reduced its figures to the minimum 
amount necessary to maintain the park, and will insist on 
getting all of it. The larger items in the estimate are as fol- 
lows : Pay roll, $130,000; sinking fund, $25,000; interest 
on shore protection fund, $25,000; power house addition and 
new machinery, $75,000 ; roads, $40,000 ; park lawns, $25,000 ; 
supplies, $45,000; repairing of board walks and benches, $15,- 
000; fuel, $13,500; Zoo, general expenses, and replenishing, 
$10,000; losses and cost of collection, $15,000; trees, $3,000; 
greenhouse repairs, $2,500 ; bathing beaches $5,000. 
* * * 
The public parks of the District of Columbia have a total 
area of 3,335 acres, divided into 25 distinct tracts. Rock 
Creek Park, embracing 1,605 acres, is the largest single park, 
the next largest being Potomac Park, with 739 acres. The 
Soldiers’ Home Grounds have 502 acres, and the Zoological 
Park 170 acres. The monument grounds contain 78 acres, 
the Smithsonian Institute grounds, 58.02 acres, the President’s 
Park 63.7 acres. Executive Mansion Grounds, 18.5 acres, and 
the Capitol Grounds 20 acres. Besides these there are seven- 
teen small parks and public areas aggregating 150 acres, and 
302 smaller reservations comprising 407 acres. 
* * * 
The Wachusett mountain state reservation commission, 
Worcester county. Mass., has just secured options on 900 
acres of land to be added to the reservation, and will e.x- 
pend $20,000 this year in acquiring it. The Wachusett reser- 
vation at present embraces 560 acres, which is controlled and 
maintained entirely by Worcester county. The county com- 
missioners are authorized to levy a part of the tax each year 
P-sr the maintenance and improvement of these lands, and the 
reservation commission is vested with powers equal to those 
of the Metropolitan Park Commission, including the power 
to condemn land for park purposes. The sum raised by taxa- 
tion this year amounted to $7,500, and the total number of 
acres now reserved is 1,460. The act creating the commis- 
sion gives it authority to take as much as 3,000 acres, and 
mraintain it on behalf of the common,wealth. The work of 
improving the land is progressing rapidly, and numbers of 
visitors are being attracted. 
^ 
Donations of land to cities for park purposes by private 
individuals are reported this month as follows : 
Busines men and property owners living in the west end 
of Cleveland, Ohio, have purchased land to the value of 
$50,000, and will build a boulevard to be known as Clifton 
boulevard, and present it to the city. * * President Barber, 
of the Diamond Match Co., will present to the town of Bar- 
berton, named in his honor, 200 acres of land to be used as 
a public park. The land adjoins the site for a $250,000 man- 
sion which he is to build, and give to the town as a hospital 
after his death. The estate of the late John J. McCracken 
has presented the city of Muskegon, Mich., with a small 
triangular park in the center of the city. The gift is nomi- 
nally to the Phil Kearney Post, G. A. R., of which the de- 
ceased was a member. * * The first park ever built in 
Oklahoma territory has just been dedicated at Oklahoma City. 
It is a gift from Capt. D. F. Stiles and Major James Geary, 
and has been named Stiles Park. Capt. Stiles was the mili- 
tary commander there in the early days of the territory. 
* * * 
Several cities are making preparations to establish new 
parks, as follows : The city council of Wichita, Kas., has 
met in special session and ordered the mayor to issue a 
proclamation calling for a speoial election for the purpose 
of voting on a $50,000 bond issue to be used in construct- 
ing a new park. The site embraces ten acres of land along 
Chisholm creek, well adapted to par’x purposse. * * Walla 
Walla, Wash., will dedicate its first park October 15. The 
planting of trees donated to the park will be a feature of 
the occasion. The park contains 40 acres. * * East St. 
Louis, 111 ., is to purchase a new park of 150 acres, just north 
of the city limits. The land will cost $500 an acre. * * In 
response to a strong popular demand from citizens of the 
north side, the park commissioners of Milwaukee, Wis., have 
advertisci-d for a tract of land north of North Ave., about 
40 acres in extent, to be made into a park, and have received 
offers of tracts varying in size from eight to 159 acres, and 
in price from $975 to $' 3 ,ooo an acre. The board is also 
negotiating for the purchase of the Coleman estate for an 
addition to Kosciusko Park. The property has been offered 
to the city for $115,000, but the commissioners consider this 
too mucli for the tract, which embraces 22 acres. * * 
Baltimore, Md., is to buy seven acres of land for a public 
park at a cost of $25,000. The tract is a part of the Moale 
estate, Moale’s Point, South Baltimore. 
