202 
yards, the beautification of our school yards and 
playgrounds by the planting of trees, shrubs, and 
flowers and the ornamentation of the home yards, 
both front and back yards, are the fundamentals, 
the essentials, I believe, of Civic Beautification 
and Civic Betterment. 
Those citizens having beautiful yards and gar- 
dens, living along properly planted streets, whose 
children attend schools where gardens may be 
seen and studied, are the citizens who visit and 
appreciate our parks most, they are the people 
who come forward and support our bond issues 
for parks, playgrounds, schools and plans for civic 
development. 
If this is true, then the park superintendents 
and city foresters ought to do all they can to en- 
courage the proper development of these funda- 
mentals of civic beautification. 
My experience has thoroughly convinced me that 
the great majority of our citizens are eager to 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
neighborhood clubs and various civic organizations 
of which we have about 300 in Chicago. 
These are simple talks arranged so as to sug- 
gest the above mentioned features of civic beauti- 
fication. 
Let us begin with Arbor Day, and on that day 
teach our children the use and value of the tree 
in our national and city life. 
The children of Chicago have planted over 1,000,- 
000 seedling trees on Arbor Day during the last 
four years. 
In 1912 they planted about 285.000 catalpa trees. 
In 1913 they planted about 300,000 elm trees. 
In 1914 they planted about 225,000 mulberry trees. 
In 1915 they planted about 200,000 white birch 
trees. 
These were one year old seedlings furnished 
and delivered to the child at its school for a cost 
of one cent each. 
Children’s gardens furnish interesting study and 
evening, Saturdays and Sundays and accumulate in 
formation, suggestions, and inspiration on how to 
beautify their own home grounds. 
Street trees are indispensable to the “City Beau- 
tiful.” Lack of municipal control and planting 
regulations have imposed upon our cities very poor 
tree planting. The varieties planted in largest 
numbers are poplars, willows, cottonwoods, soft 
maples and box elders, and these are not desirable 
trees for permanency, beauty, shade, cleanliness 
and immunity from insect and fungus pests. 
The American elm, Norway maple, honey locust, 
hockberries, white ash, sycamore, red and pin oaks, 
and lindens are the most reliable trees and give 
the best results. 
Lack of municipal control has left stumps, dead, 
dying and unsightly trees standing where they meet 
the eye of every citizen and visitor; this condition 
can only be remedied where tree ordinances are 
established. 
» 
MEMBERS OF AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PARK SUPERINTENDENTS AT SAN FRANCISCO, AUGUST 18, 1915. 
Back Row. left to right: Wm. Allen, F. Shearer, J. G. Morley, J. H. Prost; Middle Row, left to right: J. M. Paige, John Meisenbach- 
er, W. C. Claybaugh, Alex Fisk, F. D. Mulford, Emil Barnadet, John Berry, Eugene Goebel, George H. Hill, E. T. Mische, Geo. F. 
Otto, L. P. Jensen, E. C. Lyle, J. Gibson, D. Farquharson; Front Row, left to right: John D. McEwen, George Champion, Wm. R. 
Reader, Chas. Haible, J. W. Thompson, R. W. Cotterill, Herman W. Merkel, Carl U. Fohn, C. B. Wolf, John McLaren, Fred C. 
Green, Alex Stewart, John F. Walsh, Walter Wright, E. P. Grffin. 
beautify their home grounds but lack the knowl- 
edge of how to go about it. I find that our 
school boards and municipal authorities want to 
have these public grounds properly developed and 
beautified, but they lack the knowledge and neces- 
sary inspiration to go ahead and do the work 
properly. Our past school boards in Chicago thought 
it cheaper and better to pave all school yards with 
cinders, brick, and cement, leaving no space for 
plant ornamentation. But we know that the ex- 
pense of thus treating a school yard is much greater 
than the cost of improving a school yard with a 
sand surface upon a clay foundation or grass sur- 
face, adding trees, shrubs and flowers for orna- 
mentation. 
During the past four years a number of the 
ward superintendents and superintendents of pump- 
ing stations have asked for advice and suggestions 
as to how they could best beautify the ground 
under their supervision, and in every case we 
have prepared landscape designs and planting plans, 
which have been carried out as far as appropri- 
ations would permit. 
Recognizing the lack of knowledge and informa- 
tion along these lines, but also the eagerness 
with which the same is sought by the public when 
distributed free and semi-officially, I have pre- 
pared two circulars for free distribution. The 
first circular contains such general information 
about trees, lawns, and insects as is sought after 
by citizens and improvement associations who are 
public spirited enough to help beautify their com- 
munity by planting and caring for the trees and 
lawns in the parkways. 
Of these the special park commission have dis- 
tributed about 50.000 and they are still sought 
after at the rate of about fifty per day. 
The second circular contains suggestions, plant- 
ing plans and instructions on how to beautify the 
home yard. This circular has been published by 
several real estate firms, by seed stores and by the 
special park commission. In ever case, they were 
distributed free of charge for the purpose of help- 
ing citizens to help themselves in making gardens 
of their front and back yards. 
These circulars have been supplemented by illus- 
trated talks given before improvement associations. 
play for the child. To promote the development 
of these gardens I have furnished plans, planting 
schedules, rules, regulations and merit-marking 
systems to garden clubs, and the results of this 
work have been very interesting. 
During the past season all of our large park 
commissioners have given up spaces for children’s 
gardens and have furnished technical supervision. 
The greatest influence for garden making and 
civic beautification is developed where the school 
grounds are properly landscaped. Such school 
yards inspire the residents t© beautify their own 
home yards, impress the children who daily at- 
tend the school and afford excellent opportunities 
for the study of plants and garden making. 
In making a landscape design for a public school 
yard I would provide for shade trees to be planted 
in the parkway surrounding the school, provide for 
an irregular border of shrubbery planting just in- 
side of the sidewalk to contain a harmonious mix- 
ture of the varieties that thrive best in the com- 
munity and give the most beautiful effects, this 
shrubbery planting to enclose the playground and 
the school garden, where the children can do some 
sort of garden work while attending the school. 
School yards beautified in this way influence the 
residents living near and adjacent thereto and in- 
spire the public to beautify their own front yards. 
Children attending these schools are constantly im- 
pressed by the beauty of these grounds, they study 
the plants, practice garden making and this train- 
ing and experience make a lasting impression that 
will ultimately result in more gardens and more 
beautiful homes. 
Factory gardening is another influential factor in 
civic beautification. While acting as judge for the 
Tribune Garden Contest some years ago, I found 
that the garden idea among the residents near 
and around the Sears, Roebuck & Company factory 
had been more universally developed and that the 
individual gardens were generally more beautiful 
than the gardens visited in any other part of the 
city. The incentive for all this was provided by 
the elaborate and artistic gardens developed by the 
Sears, Roebuck & Company in front of their fac- 
tory. Here the employees and citizens of the sur- 
rounding territory wander during the noon hours, 
The destructive elements which enter into the 
wholesale killing of our trees, should be thoroughly 
investigated, persistently attacked, systematically 
remedied by established forestry departments, and 
where forestry departments are established but lack 
the necessary funds with which to do the actual 
work, much can be accomplished by giving informa- 
tion, advice and suggestions through lectures, cir- 
culars and the public press. 
J. G. Morley, superintendent of parks of 
San Diego, presented stereopticon views 
of the Panama-Calitornia Exposition at 
San Diego. 
Before the close of the business session 
the following officers were elected : Emil 
T. Mische, Portland, Ore., president; J. 
W. Thompson, Seattle, Wash.; J. F. 
Walsh, New York; Alex. Stuart, Ottawa, 
Can. ; E. P. Griffin, East St. Louis, 111. ; L. 
P. Jensen, St. Louis, Mo.; E. V. Goebel, 
Grand Rapids, Mich., vice-presidents; R. W. 
Cotterill, Seattle, Wash., secretary-treas- 
urer. 
Proposed amendments to the by-laws 
were given considerable attention, the fol- 
lowing being the substance of changes 
made : 
Specific classification of membership and 
defining qualifications along new lines. 
Senior Membership : Persons of five 
years’ practical experience as park super- 
intendent, assistant engineer, architect, for- 
ester or other executive. 
Junior Members: Same as senior mem- 
bers, except having had less than five 
years’ practical experience. 
