PARK AND CEME-TERY. 
Evolution in tHe Improvement of Towns and Cities 
468 
In the November number of Park and Cemetery 
there appeared an article by Mr. George Hansen, of 
Berkeley, Cal., on “Park Systems of Towns and Cit- 
ies," which must have afforded food for thought to a 
great many readers. 
The older European cities have been built too com- 
pactly, with most of the streets so narrow that there 
was no room for ornamental trees for beauty and 
shade. Many cities were surrounded by fortification 
walls and trenches. In the warlike times of the past 
the growing population was huddled closer and closer 
together, and the only beauty spots within the city 
limits were mostly the residence grounds of a few 
noblemen or princes. Many citizens cultivated vege- 
table and fruit gardens of small size near the outside 
of the fortifications, and here they could enjoy, be- 
hind closely clipped hedges, the advantages of an in- 
vigorating country life. Here the children received 
their highly valued . lessons of fioriculture and horti- 
culture, and the family raised on very limited grounds 
their fruits and vegetables. On Sundays and holidays 
the family, with its neighbors and friends, would stroll 
among the near-by farms and enjoy the meadow scen- 
er\- and woodlands, or would go to the city forest, 
generally situated on the nearest hills. In times of 
peace this was an enjoyable and civilized condition. 
But the times have changed and cities have grown 
to enormous size. The walls and ditches of the for- 
mer fortifications have been converted into circles of 
beauty in many cities where the citizens can prome- 
nade on spacious, clean walks, bordered by well-kept 
lawns, with beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers, and 
with spaces for monuments. 
In our ETnited States certain conditions have led to 
the much more rapid growth of small cities and towns 
into large cities, with the great disadvantage, except 
in rare cases, of having secured no land-holdings of 
any extent for the rural enjoyment of those of its 
citizens who have to depend on such for their fami- 
lies, and who should thus be provided for. 
Park lands are bought apparently cheap, but they 
often consume enormous sums for development as a 
pleasure park, whereas a forest park might be equally 
desirable. Enough acreage for a number of pleasure- 
parks is often bought in one plot, affording great ad- 
vantages to the section of a city contiguous to it, but 
to the disadvantage of other parts ; although the neg- 
fected section may lie just as near to as desirable a 
piece of property for park purposes. 
Boulevards and walks, connecting links between the 
different pleasure-parks, of moderate size, are not 
provided for until the land to be obtained for it has 
a value out of all proportion. When the pleasure 
parks are included in one large area, instead of a 
number of smaller ones on different sides of the city, 
connected by a boulevard, they generally assemble a 
jumble of many different incongruous features, and 
no unity of purpose prevails. 
What has a music-stand to do in a landscape park ? 
(July to disturb the quietness of nature. A sufficiently 
large enough space set apart on the boulevard would 
be all that is needed for this purpose. What has a 
museum to do in a landscape park for all the people? 
It belongs with the library more to the centre of a city, 
built on a beautiful square, easily accessible for re- 
search and study. What have monuments to do in 
a park, when the right place is on a boulevard or on 
the corners or in the center of a city square ? Aviaries, 
aquariums and deer parks should be in a zoological 
garden. Conservatories, greenhouses, nurseries, geo- 
metric or formal gardens, should be in a Botanic gar- 
den. The Botanic garden should show the floras of 
different continents in geographical distribution. 
The park for landscape effect only should show the 
possibility of this art in its highest perfection by the 
simplicity of its material, the great variety of expres- 
sive pictures, and the infinity of natural form of the 
local or country's flora. 
City squares as well as children's play-grounds 
should be bought in time before property rises to ex- 
orbitant prices. All school yards should be large, with 
plenty of playground. 
A forest park would be the greatest blessing to the 
])opulation of a city. I choose this term .in preference 
to that of forest or reservation, because it should have 
much artistic natural park-like scenery instead of 
scientific forest plantings alone. A forest park well 
managed would be no expense to a city after a certain 
number of } ears ; it might even be profitable in some 
cases. It could contain wild berry-patches, such as 
gooseberries, blackberries, dewberries, huckleberries, 
etc., and wild strawberries also wild tree fruits like 
cherries and plums, and all for children to pasture on 
at their own will. The many wild flowers could be 
picked, but no plants unnecessarily destroyed. Birds 
and harmless small animals should here find a home 
without fear of molestation. Drives and walks should 
be very few and only the most necessary, but plenty of 
paths must be provided. All pleasure vehicles should 
be left on the outside, but should be cared for in ap- 
propriate buildings, free of charge. Laws and rules 
should be very few, but such as are necessary should 
be strictly enforced. The city should have its own 
street car lines to such a park, and many a town or 
city might afford a forest park when it would be, for 
the time being, out of the question to create and de- 
velop one of the other pai'ks of a park system. 
W. VORTRIEDE. 
