PARK AND CEMETERY. 
11 
large quantity of the surplus dirt is utilized 
in filling these in. A. R. Gross, 
Supt., Mt. Greenwood Cemetery. 
Morgan Park, 111. 
We have "knock-down boxes” which we 
set up at each grave. All earth excavated 
is placed in these boxes until after the in- 
terment. Our people retire after the com- 
mital services and the grave diggers fill in 
the earth in layers of about one foot at a 
time, packing each layer firmly until grave 
is refilled. All surplus earth is then carted 
away and used for filling low ground, 
after which the box is taken apart and 
stored for future use if not required for 
immediate use in another location. After 
the box is removed there is no fresh soil 
on the grass to mar the appearance of the 
sod. We have been using this plan for the 
past fourteen years and find it gives the 
best results of any plan tried so far. We 
also use pawlins in certain places where it 
is not convenient to use the box. Our 
boxes are calculated to hold about the re- 
quired amount of earth to refill an ordinary 
grave. 
In order that a lot may be cleaned up 
quickly after an interment our men remove 
a portion of the earth as fast as excavated, 
leaving about the required amount of earth 
to refill the grave. In this manner we 
often have all signs of an interment re- 
moved within a half to three-quarters of 
an hour after the family leave, as the 
grave is sodded at once. 
Any person wanting a description of .the 
REMODELING 
On a first visit to Forest Hills Cemetery, 
in the fall of 1914, the genial superintend- 
ent, Henry S. Adams, clearly proved him- 
self a well-balanced combination of the 
esthete and the practical man, as, indeed, is 
essential for a man in his position. 
That he proved himself much more than 
this to the "head of the family” and the 
writer is, though perhaps a purely personal 
matter, none the less an agreeable fact to 
set down in this little chronicle of a pleas- 
ant and instructive afternoon. 
box used can have same by applying to the 
writer. Wm. Halbrooks, 
Supt., Oak Hill Cemetery. 
Evansville, Ind. 
Curb and Gutter for Drives. 
What type of gutter is best adapted to 
cemetery drives, or are gutters generally 
used? — F. R., Ia. 
We do not approve of gutters or curbing 
except on inclines, where they are neces- 
sary on account of washing, where we use 
combined curb and gutter. 
I do not believe it adds to the beauty of 
a cemetery and therefore make the curb 
only four inches on top surface, and if I 
used gutter on level roads I would prefer 
no curb, so as to make it look as though 
the gutter were part of the pavement, but 
on such roads we do not have them. 
Wm. F. Haase, 
President, Forest Home Cemetery. 
Forest Park, 111. 
Reservations for Ornamental Planting. 
Do you advise making reservations in 
the interior of sections for ornamental 
planting? — B. F., O. 
I think this inquiry shows a great deal of 
interest. We who have old cemeteries have 
not been able to acquire any reservations 
because we have to take the grounds as 
they are and plant wherever the oppor- 
tunity offers. I, for my part, would by all 
means, in laying out new sections today, 
make reservations in the rear of all lots 
for ornamental work, as it adds materially 
to the attractiveness of a cemetery to have 
as much ornamental planting as possible. 
It is due Mr. Adams to say that he is 
manfully grappling with what looked to the 
layman like a next to impossible proposi- 
tion, which was, however, sufficiently ad- 
vanced to show beyond question its feasi- 
bility in his capable hands, rather, to speak 
accurately, head. 
As the “head of the family” aptly re- 
marked, thus unthinkingly supplying ac- 
ceptable "material,” the title of this ceme- 
tery is no misnomer, since it really con- 
tains both forest and hills. 
For those who have the severe winters 
which we have, I would recommend that 
more evergreens be planted. These give the 
contrast in winter which is so pleasing and 
also afford a shelter for the birds, as we 
cannot afford to lose any more of those 
little fellows than we can help, because 
they add so much to any grounds. I only 
wish that I had the good old Harmony 
Grove Cemetery to lay out again, and I 
think that we could make good changes in 
the landscape, though we do pride our- 
selves on our beautiful oak and maple 
trees, deep ravines and high cliffs, which 
make a very rolling and attractive ceme- 
tery. Geo. W. Creesy, 
Supt., Harmony Grove Cemetery. 
Salem, Mass. 
I should strongly advise that this be 
done. If the planting areas are limited to 
the sides of the sections or along the 
driveways, the variety of effect will also 
be very much limited. By placing planting 
areas in the sections they can be of fair 
size and irregular in outline and will do 
what is extremely necessary in most of our 
cemeteries, that is, furnish a background 
for the monuments. The monuments 
should, as far as necessary, be placed near 
this interior planting. With this arrange- 
ment the views across our cemeteries will 
have variety; interesting grouping of fo- 
liage and all monuments can be seen to 
their advantage, and the whole area will 
not have the effect of the yard of a monu- 
ment company. Paul L. Mueller, 
Landscape Architect. 
Minneapolis, Minn. 
While these unquestionably are basic 
landscape assets, the latter are sometimes 
a handicap in the development of a ceme- 
tery. In this case an additional and lit- 
erally weighty difficulty is found in the 
rocks, from a few ounces to a ton or more 
in weight, scattered so indiscriminately 
throughout the soil as to necessitate 
trenching every foot of the ground to be 
used for interments. 
In the beginning (that sounds Biblical, 
but no plagiarism intended) sections in this 
A NEW ENGLAND CEMETERY 
CONCRETE COLD FRAMES TO REPLACE WOODEN ONES. PART OF ROAD EUILDINO EQUIPMENT OF FOREST HULK. 
HUILT OF REENFORCED CONCRETE PLANKS MADE IN- 
DOORS BY CEMETERY EMPLOYEES DURING THE WINTER. 
