Chapter 9 - Parks, Public Squares, School-Yards, Etc.

Suggestions as to parks, public squares, school-yard decoration.

Cemetery decoration. Renovating old cemeteries.

The limits of this work will allow of very little discussion of the above lines of ornamental landscape-work, but it is a subject that is attracting so much attention and so much progress is being made in this kind of work that some of the principles involved will be briefly touched upon.

Nearly all of the parks connected with large towns and cities are under the direction and management of skilled engineers and landscape artists, and little that can be presented within the limits of this volume will be of value to them, but in many towns and cities we find so much imperfect work, and so much of a tendency to attempt more than the available funds will warrant or more than the managers can master, that we cannot but offer the suggestion that if less were attempted and the more natural features were developed and improved instead of trying to ape the larger parks which are far beyond them, there would be less of the shoddy work done and more that is really artistic and beautiful because of its naturalness.

The well-kept village green with a few large well-grown trees in perfect condition and with no fence around it is a thing of real beauty easily and cheaply cared for, far exceeding many squares or small parks fenced in with expensive iron or wooden fences, entirely unnecessary for any purpose whatever, elaborate fountains, and attempts at statuary.

When the natural features of any park, square, common, or village green have been made as perfect as possible, and all made to blend and harmonize with the surroundings, then it is time enough to think of adding artificial objects. Let every tree, shrub, vine, or plant be made as perfect as possible. Let every rock or ledge too large to be easily removed be decorated with suitable natural growth of shrubs, vines, and plants. Let any body of water, stream or Brooklet, be carefully and neatly decorated, and there is hardly a park, square, or green that will not be beautiful, that will not possess merit that will please any one with true artistic taste.

No work of decoration however small should be undertaken unless it can be done well, for half work is often worse than no work at all. No community need go to a great expense for plans or advice upon the subject of ornamenting public grounds, for there are many skilful men connected with the park systems of neighboring cities who will be glad to help on the cause of the ornamentation of public grounds. There are also men of skill and experience connected with the colleges and experiment stations of each State to whom they can go for advice, and our agricultural and horticultural press abounds in illustrations and suggestions for such work. "What is most needed is some patriotic and energetic person or persons with a real love of nature and the beautiful who will take the lead and work unceasingly until success is attained. Such individuals are to be found in almost every community, and their efforts should* be seconded and supported with substantial aid. The old-time "planting-bees" should be revived, or the substitute for this, Arbor-day, when the planting of public grounds by the united effort of every one who can give a few hours to the good work, would soon result in beautifying all of our public squares, village commons, and roadways.

School-yard Decoration.

Much has been written in the past few years on the subject of the decoration of our public-school yards or playgrounds, and some progress has been made in teaching the average village schoolboy that there are some things about our school buildings and grounds that he ought to respect. Very little, however, can be done in this direction until the pupils come to see and understand the effect of beautiful surroundings and acquire something of a love for neatness and beauty, both inside of the school-house and on the play-grounds.

This may be accomplished in a measure if nature-studies are taught to our younger pupils in the public schools, or better still if at home they learn something of the beauty and wonders of the natural world about them, and of the necessity of some effort and restraint on their part in obtaining and preserving the things of comfort and beauty that they are permitted to use.

One of the first conditions or requirements of successful decoration of school-yards is an abundance of land. The quarter or half acre upon which school-buildings are usually located is by far too small to provide space for large numbers of children to play football, baseball, and other vigorous games and have any space for decoration, and it is useless to attempt anything more than the planting of a few large trees upon such grounds that will withstand the attack of the crowd in their rush or run for the goal. On larger grounds where a liberal space can be assigned for the playground decoration of greater or less extent with smaller trees, shrubs, or plants may be attempted at points some distance from the play-ground and in the angles where there is no necessity or excuse for the pupils crossing the grounds.

It is always advisable to have the play-grounds and the sanitary accommodation of the boys and girls separated, especially in graded schools of the older pupils, which necessitates a larger area of land and more extensive decoration, and for a school of from 100 to 200 pupils not less than 1 to 2 acres will provide adequate space. This large extent of land is often difficult to obtain, but it will be found one of the best investments that can be made for our school-children, especially in thickly settled villages, and where the buildings are located near stores, railroad stations, etc. If the sanitaries are placed in the basement of the school-building, as they should be and are in many modern buildings, and the grounds are where they command full view from school doors or windows, the playgrounds need not be separated more than by an occasional group of small shrubs to distinctly mark the boundaries.

Reading-rooms, gymnasia, and other sources of entertainment and instruction provided for the pupils of our public schools will be found to aid greatly in the moral, physical, and intellectual training of our youth. Neatness and comfort should prevail everywhere, that each pupil may feel encouraged in very effort at self-control and good purposes. Figs. 67, 68, and 69 illustrate how school-yards of various forms may be divided into two separate yards and the arrangement of the trees and shrubbery.    The arrange merit of shade-trees around the border is a desirable feature, whatever the size or form of the grounds, and if trees of large size are properly planted they will not be often injured unless it is done wantonly, and with very little care are sure to give very satisfactory results.  If the pupils can be in-terested in the work of decoration by the observance of Arbor Day and field days, there will be little or no difficulty in keeping the sentiment of the school up where care will be taken that no injury is done to the ornamental material planted.

Street
FIG. 67—Arrangement Of School-Yards.

Street FIG. 68—Arrangement Of School-Yards.

Street
FIG. 69—Arrangement Op School-Yards.

If all the pupils of a school can be encouraged to take up the study of the science of botany, and beds or plots of ground provided for the germination of seeds or growing of interesting plants, it will be a source of instruction and pleasure and lead often to more extended decoration; but where only one class takes up the work, the feeling of class jealousy is often such that work of this kind is not safe from molestation.

As in tree-planting by the roadside or on the lawn, the mistake is very often made of planting too closely for full and perfect growth.

No nuisance or objectionable views should be permitted near the school-house, and if distant views of beauty and interest can be preserved and unpleasant features shut out in the arrangement of the trees and shrubs, as they often can be, it should be done. The more beautiful and attractive features that can be brought together about our school-houses and grounds the more easily will the pupils be governed, and the greater will be their progress in everything that makes for good citizenship and upright honorable lives.

Cemetery Decoration.

The decoration of the resting-places of those loved ones who have gone before has always received much attention, and special grounds in very village and hamlet have been set aside sacred to this purpose.

In the earlier days of our country the space devoted to this use was very limited and the geometrical style of ornamentation employed. The grounds, being enclosed by more or less pretentious fence and the trees and shrubs arranged in a stiff formal manner, often presented the most gloomy and uninviting features possible, instead of that quiet beauty and rest that we love to think of as the most appropriate resting-place for the bodies of our loved ones.

Within the past fifteen or twenty years, however, great progress has been made in beautifying these grounds, and to-day we have some of the most beautiful examples of natural landscape or ornamental gardening connected with our park cemeteries to be found anywhere in the world.

In the selection of the location for cemeteries naturally beautiful grounds, with more or less seclusion and quiet, away from the hurry and bustle of the village or city, and with a dry, rather light, porous soil, are most desirable.

The more natural features of beauty that can be found the more easily and cheaply beautiful and finished work can be done.

All such natural features should be preserved as far as possible, and no attempt be made to bring naturally rounded slope to the level. In case of very abrupt embankments some grading down must be done, but often by introducing large rocks and boulders into the face of the embankment the appearance of naturally projecting ledges or boulders may be produced, that will be far more beautiful than any rounded slope can possibly be made.

In most cemeteries the main source of income is from the sale of lots, and the great danger to be feared is that, in the desire to secure a large number of lots, the ornamental features will suffer, and too many lots with regular sides or too many geometrical walks will be produced.

Economy of space may perhaps be obtained by the arrangement of the ground into squares, but the lots with curved borders are susceptible of greater beauty in ornamentation. There is much greater ease and comfort in getting around by means of gracefully curved walks, and by the blending of all of the ornamentation into one system and under one management the whole may be made to reach much greater beauty than if each lot were ornamented separately. The care and ornamentation of cemeteries should be under one management, and with authority vested by the condition of the sale of the lots to compel each owner to keep his lot in a neat and orderly condition, or to have it done at his expense by the managers.

All the planting must be done within certain limits and rules be made and carried out that no one shall plant any tree, shrub, or vine that shall in any way mar the beauty of the whole.

Under the conditions of a great variety of soil and a large number of people of different ideas of the beauty of the many kinds of trees and other plants that can be used with success in cemeteries, there is much danger of unsuitable trees being planted, and the superintendent must be a man of large experience as to what will give the best satisfaction under varying conditions and who has tact for dealing with the patrons of the grounds.

A boundary fence is often necessary, but not so often as is generally supposed, for almost everywhere, except in the extreme country districts, animals are obliged by law to be kept within proper enclosure, and when driven along the roadway to be kept as far as possible within the road limits, and the grounds can be made more beautiful if the fence is dispensed with altogether. If one must be put up let it be a simple gas-pipe or wire fence painted green. Near large cities, where more or less injury is done by irresponsible or vicious people, the fence becomes a necessary protection.

No fences, hedges around the lots, or other unnatural obstruction to the view of the whole grounds should be allowed, but in the arrangement of the general ornamental features secluded and quiet beauty should predominate.

The more distinctly graceful and ornamental trees and shrubs should be need in preference to the sturdy and grand trees, unless the extent of the grounds is very great, when the broad-spreading oak, chestnut, hemlock, and white pine may be used.

For directions for the care of the ornamental features of the cemetery, i.e., the lawn, walks, and drives, trees, shrubs, and plants, the reader is referred to the suggestions and rules laid down in Chapters III to VI.

An abundance of water is an absolute necessity for success in cemetery decoration, and service-pipes with faucets at frequent intervals should be provided if a supply of running water can be obtained, for the best growth of lawn, shrubs, or plants cannot be obtained, especially in time of drought, without its frequent use. If the supply of water is sufficient, sprinklers should be kept playing on some part of the lawns all the time during extreme dry weather. The quiet lake let, the rippling brook, and the fountain are features that are especially appropriate for cemetery decoration.

Renovating Old Cemeteries.

Many of the old cemeteries of the country are of especial historic interest, as they often contain the only records to be found of much of our history, written on the tombstones found therein, and every effort should be made to save them from oblivion and make them pleasant features of our surroundings.

Not having been laid out in any formal style with walks, drives, etc., most of them present very favorable conditions for renovation to at least neatness and some show of quiet beauty. There are generally no boundary-stones to mark each lot, and the best and simplest way to produce beautiful results is to level down all mounds and projections with sharp spades, fill up all depressions with good soil, and make the surface a smooth and green lawn. After leveling and smoothing up the surface a dressing of fine rich compost or fertilizer should be given and an abundance of fine lawn grass-seed be sown and raked in. The headstones should then be placed in position, cleaning, repairing, and re-lettering such as are becoming obscure. The moss and lichens which indicate their age, however, should not be destroyed if it can be avoided. The trees, shrubs, and plants found growing in such cemeteries are often in a sad state of neglect and need much care and attention. They should he treated in accordance with the methods described in Chapter VII on renovating old places, to which the reader is referred for suggestions. A few large spreading trees well cared for add much to the impressiveness of the scene, while large numbers of imperfectly grown specimens only invites neglect, and offers no attractions to those who wish to stroll about the resting-place of their ancestors or study the history of past generations.
Many of these old cemeteries are located in the very heart of thriving, hustling cities or villages, and while there are many sacred associations connected with the places, the noise and bustle of the town together with the inappropriateness of the location make it desirable and proper that they should be removed to other locations with more quiet and peaceful surroundings.

In this work every feature of the old grounds should be preserved as far as possible. The headstones should be set carefully in the same relative position in which they stood before being moved, and when so much is to be gained by removal no sensible person should object to what is a step in the direction of true honor and respect for our beloved dead.

Any place that is beautiful, quiet, and peaceful will have its influence on our hearts for good, and especially when in connection with so sacred a place, but the noisy street forbids any such influence, and the sooner these old cemeteries are moved to better surroundings and kept in proper condition the better, and the friends of the loved dead should rejoice that such conditions can be provided.

FIG.70—Typical City Street Without Tubes. (From the Tree-planting Association of New York City.)
(To face page 134.)

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