PARK AND CEMETERY 
ISO 
ual Training School were burned, with their contents, 
and were both rebuilt on a more extensive scale, which 
gave an opportunity for the school ground improve- 
ment which has since been carried out and for which 
additional land was donated and a street closed. 
As president of the school board, Hon. James H. 
Stout was instrumental in securing the services of Mr. 
Warren H. Manning, of Boston, to design the grounds. 
To Mr. Stout is due the execution of the work and its 
prosecution at the present time. Utility being the first 
consideration, ample space for a playground is reserved 
in the rear of two buildings, and as they are located at 
some distance from the street, a large lawn in front is 
provided to insure a proper setting, while brick walks 
give convenient access to them on all sides. A garden 
is also laid out for the kindergarten. 
In the shrubbery, the designer advised planting a 
collection from which to study instead of the usual 
ornaments and exotics, which are located around the 
playground and along the street border. The planting 
list includes at least one representative of each botan- 
ical family, among them “native plants worthy of culti- 
vation and hardy exotics commonly cultivated for or- 
nament.” Of course, several varieties were found not 
hardy and have been taken out and replaced by those 
of known hardiness. In this way experimental work 
is done. Each plantation is labeled and numbered so 
that everyone can find out the names of any of the 
species used. The numbers refer also to a handbook, 
entitled “A Handbook for Planning and Planting 
Home Grounds,” issued by the Stout Manual Training 
School, which is to be used as an additional source of 
information to those interested. It is intended to be 
used by the students as well as the citizens of Menom- 
onie in home improvement. 
The residents are free to study the collection on the 
school grounds to see how the different kinds grow, 
flower, and become desirable ornamentals or otherwise. 
Through the generosity of Mr. Stout, advice is given 
them freely by the designer or the gardener in charge 
of the grounds, and people have shown a commendable 
interest in all the work done. The idea of home im- 
provement under all conditions is encouraged, and it 
has appealed to a good many, and a good number have 
shown their appreciation by adopting the suggestions 
offered. 
Necessarily the work on small places is limited to 
the making of a lawn, with enough shrubbery to prop- 
erly frame it and set off the house, and the separation 
of the back yard from it, by hedges, plantations or lat- 
HOMK GROUNDS, MENOMONIE, WIS, TWO YARDS TREATED 
AS ONE. 
ticcs. The natural advantages of each place are used 
when available, while the use of native plants is en- 
couraged on account of their known hardiness, small 
cost, and desirability. 
The influences of this school ground improvement 
cannot but be far reaching. They will extend from the 
little kindergartner planting his seeds, the boy and girl 
with their gardens of vegetables and flowers, the older 
students in their study of botany or horticulture, to 
the home builder beautifying his grounds. It is thor- 
oughly in accord with the tendency of the times to get 
out of doors and enjoy the beauties of Nature about us. 
Charles H. Ramsdell. 
I 
VIEW OF GROUNDS, LOOKING FROM THE SCHOOL HOUSE. 
