262 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
WATER IN THE CEMETERY LANDSCAPE 
An address before the Ohio Association of Cemetery Superintendents, 
by Carl E. Kern, Asst. Supt ., Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, O. 
I shall simply try to speak to you upon 
the subject. “Water in the Landscape,” as a 
whole. I shall not attempt to define con- 
structive features and the varied problems 
which often arise in dealing with water 
and which are again governed themselves 
by local conditions. 
Beautiful scenery in the cemetery is what 
we are all striving for, according to the 
modern ideas and conception of our lead- 
ing men in cemetery planning. There is 
nothing so suggestive of restful quiet to 
the peace of the mind and soul than the 
beautiful little lake set in amongst sur- 
roundings of sylvan beauty with its spark- 
ling expanse in the bright sunshine, and in 
its cool coves and nooks we see the won- 
derful effects of shadow and reflection on 
its mirror-like surface to portray before us 
pictures of all the beautiful forms of vege- 
tation above, and, let us take it for grant- 
ed, some artful work in stone. 
On looking over the many reports and 
pamphlets we receive from other ceme- 
teries and parks, their most prized views of 
their respective places are usually scenes 
in the landscape where water is the pre- 
dominating factor, which proves in itself 
the advantage and the desirability to em- 
body water in the scenery wherever permis- 
sible and practicable in order to produce 
pictures of still greater attractiveness. 
Fortunate, indeed, is the cemetery whose 
sponsors or promoters foresaw the value 
and advantage of some body of water or 
stream, may it be within the territory se- 
lected or possibly some great lake or river 
being visible in the distance or even form- 
ing some parts of its boundaries. Of 
course, such conditions are ideal with spe- 
cial reference on this subject, and are ex- 
isting in some instances in cemeteries, but 
more especially in parks, where the scope 
of the idea can be carried much farther 
and where many other vital questions can 
be eliminated which usually cannot be 
evaded in selecting a site to develop and 
operate a successful cemetery. 
Water, as it were, is the soul of the 
landscape and everything responds to its 
life-giving power within its surroundings. 
To obtain such delightful and captivating 
effects of water, many of us must resort 
to artificial means to gain this end. First 
of all, we must consider the source of sup- 
ply which at all times should be able to 
maintain a uniform level of water. Next, 
we should ascertain the suitability and 
condition of soil at the proposed site, 
which at times is the deciding factor if 
the scheme should prove to be practicable 
or not. Should the subsoil consist of a 
loose, porous material or even fissured rock, 
our greatest difficulty would arise to prop- 
erly retain the water, which in some cases 
would prove to be a too expensive propo- 
sition to overcome. 
Let us assume, on the other hand, that 
we have to deal with a piece of land which 
is low and marshy, generally unfit for cem- 
etery use. Here we would have a most 
logical site for our lake or pond. The ex- 
tent of our operations, of course, are al- 
ways guided and based upon careful ob- 
servations and surveys to determine as 
nearly as possible the amount of material 
gained by excavation, and its disposition 
thereof in such a manner which will bring 
Ihe surrounding land to a decided higher 
level, and we are making land suitable pos- 
sibly for burial purposes at the same time 
we are completing the bed of our intended 
lake. 
In giving shape and form to our lake, 
much depends upon its designer and his 
keen sense of observation, fitting it into 
the landscape- much like the jeweler would 
set some precious stone into some artistic 
design of his. There should be harmony 
in line with the immediate surroundings. 
Its outlines may be irregular, advancing, 
receding and forming promontories and 
coves. Islets should always be of second- 
ary importance and the main axis of the 
sheet of water be unobstructed. To get 
some inspiration and to formulate our ideas 
upon this very point of distribution and 
outline, we have but to consult nature her- 
self, and with some study of maps and, if 
possible, personal knowledge of locations 
famous for their natural aquatic scenery, 
we would certainly soon be able to apply 
the chief principles taught us by the hun- 
dreds of beautiful lakes, both large and 
small, with their charming islands and con- 
tributing streams. 
The planting out of the banks near arti- 
ficial water always offers an opportunity 
for the planter of securing good effects. 
There should be trees of different heights 
and sizes, and shrubs of lower growth 
situated singly or in groups. We naturally 
would think of the stately form of the 
Lombardy Poplar (Poplus Nigra Fastigi- 
ata) and our native species of this tree. 
No planting of this kind would be complete 
without the use of some of the representa- 
tives of the Willow family, such as (Salix 
Regalis) with its silvery white foliage, the 
graceful Weeping Willow (Salix Baby- 
lonica), the Laurel or Bay Willow with 
its glossy foliage, and least of all, those 
which are distinguished by their bright- 
colored bark. Let us not forget groups of 
the Pin Oak (Quercus Palustris and the 
immense Swamp Cypress (Taxodium Dis- 
tichium), which have obtained such enor- 
mous size in Spring Grove Cemetery. 
The Ash (Fraxinus), the Sweet Gum 
(Liquidambar), the Tulip Tree (Lirioden- 
dron Tulipifera) and some of the Linden 
(Tilia Platyphylla) , also the Pepperidge 
tree (Nyssa Sylvatica) and Magnolia 
Glauca are all trees that will thrive well 
and love a moist suitation. In order to 
produce strong, rich contrasts on the 
higher banks, material of secondary growth 
should be used, such as the Red Bud 
LOOKING ACROSS THE LAKE, GRACELAND CEMETERY, CHICAGO. 
