232 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
Village In 
There is no country neighborhood, no village, 
town or city, but ofifers opportunity for work in out 
of door art, or civic improvement. Do you live in 
the country? There are treeless roadsides every- 
where. Do you live in the city? Let the people 
in your block put out trees; put a flower bed be- 
tween the walk and street ; put out vases filled with 
flowers ; take all tags ol¥ trees and poles on the 
block ; make the children the police force to care for 
and protect these things, and you will be training 
them for future usefulness, giving an object lesson 
to people in adjoining blocks and improving your 
own surroundings. Do you live in a village? Then 
y'ou have a greater opportunity for work than else- 
where. If trees are needed, plant them for such 
persons as will promise to care for them and to re- 
place them if they die. 
Are the telephone and telegraph poles, the trees 
and fences within the corporation limits covered 
with bills? Get the village board to pass an ordi- 
nance forbidding it and then take off those alreadv 
on. 
If the papers and rags thrown around give your 
■street an untidy look, place wire baskets, labeled : 
City Ordinance 
The following ordinance for the regulation of 
street tree planting was passed by the city council 
of Jacksonville, Fla.: “The trees recpiired to be 
planted shall be water oaks, in sound and healthy 
condition, with branches trimmed off from the 
ground, and from eight feet above the ground the 
branches shall be cut back to about twenty-four 
inches in length and gradually shortened to about 
twelve inches at or near the top of the tree at a 
point where the trunk is cut off. The trunk shall 
be topped at not less than fifteen feet from the 
ground for trees twelve inches in circumference, 
and at not less than fifteen feet from the ground for 
trees nine inches in circumference. The trunk 
where topped shall be covered with shellack or 
grafting wax. The trees shall be planted and made 
to live and grow in healthy condition about twelve 
feet from each side of the street, and about twenty- 
seven feet apart ; the exact location of each tree to 
Te designated by the Board of Public Works. In 
the territory bounded east by Newman street, north 
By Ashley street, and west by Clay street, the trees 
must be not less than twelve inches in circumfer- 
ence three feet from the ground, and in the remain- 
ing territory the trees must be not less than nine 
inches in circumference three feet above the ground. 
All trees to be subject to the approval and accept- 
ance of the Superintendent of Parks ; the roots of 
all trees to be cut not less than three feet from the 
iDUtt. The trees must be watered and cared for as 
“Plase Put Waste Paper Here” at needed points. 
After these are in place ask the board to allow the 
street commissioner to empty them when full. The_v 
will do so in most cases, and in this way you are 
educating them. 
Are your depot grounds untidy? Set out trees 
and ask the help of the railway company. Have 
yon a park? Is there anything to do there? 
This is the season for organizing Improvement 
Clubs, in order to be ready for the work the spring 
will bring. Do not hesitate because those inter- 
ested are few. If yon have three or four women 
who will attempt it, form your simple organization, 
and you will succeed. I would form it of women, 
because they are more economical than men, less 
apt to become discouraged, and more willing to 
work with small beginnings ; but I would lose no 
opportunity to ask help from every man and child 
in the community. 
In the little village of Birmingham, Mich., a town 
of one thousand people, all these things and more 
have been done with a very small outlay of money, 
and against opposition from many points. 
Martha Baldwin, Pres. V. I. S. 
for Tree Planting'. 
may be necessary, and maintained in a healthy con- 
dition for the period of eighteen months after plant- 
ing, and at the end of the said period must be in a 
healthy growing condition.” 
^ ^ 
The passage of an ordinance including the above 
specifications indicates an interest in beautifying 
the streets which is commendable. In the North, 
we should consider the trimming called for by the 
ordinance as rather severe, and as tending to de- 
tract from the beauty of the trees. By cutting off 
a portion of the last }. ear’s growth the appearance 
of the tree would not be injured, and the foliage 
would be reduced to correspond with the roots. 
There are many varieties of water oak, but a ques- 
tion might be raised as to the advisability of re- 
stricting the street planting of a city to one species. 
Are not live oaks, magnolias, hollies, gums, and 
tulip trees suited to the climate and worthy of places 
on some of the streets? Twenty-seven feet apart 
would make the trees much too close together to 
give the best effect at maturity. 
Perhaps, however, one should not criticise details 
too much. The mere fact that street planting has 
received some attention by the city council is en- 
couraging and it is hoped that other cities will fol- 
low the example of Jacksonville in encouraging tree 
planting, and adopt such rules as the local condi- 
tions require and will lead to best results. 
O. C. S. 
