The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1885-04-10
IMPROVING THE PARKS.
Commencing Operations in All the
City Reservations Important
Innovations---Incr
N,tr1bara of Plants.

City Reservations Important
Increasing
Numbers of Plants.
To day the spring operations under tho
direction of Colonel Rockwell, Commits.
sioner of Public Buildings and Grounds
commenced, and the parks and reserva-
tons will at once begin to show the signs
of improvement and preparation for the
spring planting. The most important now
work to commence this week~is the rear
rangement of Washington Circle In con-
formity with plans just completed and
under an appropriation made by the last
Congress.
Tho high iron fence, which forms an un-
slightly Enclosure and prevents free access
to the circle, will be at once removed, al
though the stone coping upon which It
rests will remain. The straight walks
which now radiate at right angles will be
obliterated and gracefully winding paths
will he substituted. In the arrangement OF
these walls, in the planting and shrubbery
and flower-beds and in all other respects 1t
is proposed to improve the appearance and
increase the beauty of tho reservation.
At the Garfield Park the operations Of
the next month will be devoted mainly TO
the lower half of the reservation. Too
work thus far has been mainly upon the
drainage, and other operations that scarcely
showed upon the surface or gave the park
an improved appearance. Tho work now
to be carried on is above ground aud its Of
fects will at once be observable. The
grading will be completed, the pstAs laid
out and cleared, tho curbing placed in po-
sition and the planting of trees, shrubbery
and flowers commenced. Before the spring
is far advanced the park will present a
r..I
AT Thomas Circle the walks have become
very bad and repaving is required. The
work will be begun at once aud the paths
well paved.
In the White House grounds the usual
operations have already been commenced,
and tho grounds will DO kept in about the
same condition as last year. The same ar
rangement of howor-beds will be observed
although 1t is proposed to improve the
quality and quantity Of Towering plants
The collections of roses and some other
flowers will be enhanced by the addition OF
rare varieties, carefully cultivated in the
lighthouses during the winter and now for
the first time transplanted out into the
grounds. In all the reservations work be-
gins to-day in cleaning out the fountain
basins and putting the fountains in repair,
id clearing and rolling the walks and lawns
and in removing the straw and leaves that
have covered the lower-beds. The crocuses
and hyacinths are already in bud, and will
heautify the parks for some weeks before
the spring planting of flowers from the con-
servatories and propagation houses begins.
The date fixed for the commencement oil
this planting is May 90, and arrangements
have been made for setting out moro than
a quarter of a million plants, nearly twice
as large number as during any previous
season. This unusually large planting
will be mainly of tho same varieties that
have been set ont in recent seasons, but the
increase in number will be very noticeable
| in its tendency to increase tho beauty anC
brilliance of the floral displays. The
| benches in use in the reservations hav,
undergone repairs and repainting, ant
| have been increased in number.
| Although the season is about three week
behind that of year ago, it is believed tina
the parks, from this time continuousl.
through the spring and summer, will pre-
sent a more striking appearance than eve
i before