Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1886-04-21
LOS ANGELES PARKS.
One of the Needs of the
Hour.
STEPS IN THE RIGHTDIREcTION
$50 Acres Dedicated for Use as q
Magnificent Public Pleasure
Ground.


Los Angeles should have extensive and
well cultivated public parks. The first
il the magnificent possibilities in this
line equalled on no other spot ON earth
In most parts of the country the laying
out and planting of public park re-
quires that far reaching philanthropy
which is willing to toll and expend
treasure for a generation or two ahead.
The man who enters ON such an enter
prise is working for posterity. He
secures his ground, aud for few short
months each summer he can work at it
and plant his trees and shrubs there for
few shorter weeks during each spring.
Then he must be content TO see large
percentages of them die during the hot
days of July and August and further
big inroads made on them by the rigors
of an almost Arctic winter The re.
turning spring sees few left, sickly,
doubtful il they are permanently
to survive, in no case at all de.
veloped, and not having sufficient hold
on the soil to make much of start even
during the second summer. He tender
" cherishes the few that show any signs
OF life. The dead ones are pulled up
and replaced by others, part of which
survive and many die. necessitating a
second and a third replanting and so
on almost ad infnitum and altogether
nd glausea0l until after q matter of ten
years care, as many replanting OF those
that fell by the wayside of the too ar
dent summers and the too vigorous
winters, he gets garden which begins
to put out a few buds of promise which
encourage the patient planter to hope
for something in the sweet bye and bye.
How happily otherwise are matters in
the semi tropics. The careful horticul-
turist here sets his trees any time be.
tween November and June. He works
among them 1856 days in the year If no
religious scruple rules out the So Sun.
DAYS. Each day he sees progress
along the whole line of his planting.
II well set 80 per cent. of the tress or
shrubs are sure to live. They scarcely
feel the effects of a transplantiug and
at once get hold of the fertile soil, and
under the beams of most genial sun at
once begin to make new and vigorous
growth The end of season shows y
luxnriant development of leaf and very
fair beginning of flower. The second
season presents garden all abloom and
after that the trouble will be to restrain
the growth within any proper limits and
prevent your park from becoming a will
derness. If you plant the larger varie-
ties of trees they IRE veriiable forest
in five years. People who plant here
plant for the living present, and are
sure to enjoy the fruit OF their labors
before the silver threads too rapidly
multiply among the sunny locks of
youth.
The second reason for parks in this
country is the lovely weather which
every one finds so provocative of an
outdoor life. There is hardly a day in
the year in this climate when leisure.
" saunter in grove of fine trees is not
a delight. So genial is the sun that at
almost all seasons wraps and heavy
outer garments can be dispensed
with and the ligltly-clad pedestrian
may wander with no sense OF chill be-
tween 10 A. NJ. and 3 P. NJ. at the
promptings of his own sweet will. In
such a cline there should be inviting
parks, with good walks, pleasant views,
paths aligned with flowers and comfort
able seats ut intervals beneath grateful
shade with the musical sound of run.
ming stream to mingle with the tune of
the feathery warblers III the trees.
The third good reason is the numbers
of visitors who come here at all seasons
of the year and who would so greatly
enjoy stroll amid such pleasant sur
roundngs as are found in a the park.
These people from the outside add large.
ly to the wealth and prosperity of the
city, and all proper means should be
made to induce them to come in larger
numbers and to make longer stays
Many of them are invalids who stay in.
definitely while they find impaired
health on the mend. Such thing as a
public park with its walks, flowers and
places to rest would induce them Il
prolong their stays out of doors, and the
outdoor life would tend to improve theil
health.
WHAT THE CITY HAS.
All that the city has had in this direc
ton has fallen lamentably short of what
she ought to have. A couple of squares
one the old Plaza, the other the Sixth
Street Park, with their few neglected
trees, have been the whole story. There
were in other parts of the city small
parcels of ground set apart for public
use, but there was not living sprig OF
them. They were not fenced, and yeaI
by year the progressive guardians Of
the city's rights let the land to some
fellow to raise barley on for his cart
horse. The HERALD has called up this
question time ana again for years, as
this journal has persistently called up
all other live questions for the benefit
of the citizens.
Some few months ago A. NJ. Steph-
ems, ESQ.,, in very able letter to the
HERALD pointed out the propriety Of
setting apart large tract of city land
in the northern part of the municipality
for Just this purpose. The timely sug'
gestion of that letter was followed VI
with reiterated pleadings in the same
key, and at length the matter reached
the seat of thought among some mem
bers of the Council. The matter cul
minated in an ordinance introduced and
passed in the Council meeting of few
weeks since, and the tract was definitely
set apart for public use as park.
The land embraces some $50 acres in
the northern quarter of the city, above
the new depot and the Catholic ceme-
terry, and runs over the hills along the
river to the boundary lines of the city
in that direction. 1t is most admirably
suited for the purpose. There are in
this piece OF ground some OF the finest
views to be had in Southern California.
The whole city every way, the plain to
Santa Monica and Wilmington, the
mountains to Sierra Madre, San Fer
nando tunnel and the Cahuenga are dis
cernahle The snow caps OF the noun
tain giants, San Gorgonio, San Antonio
and San Jacinto pierce the clouds on
one side. On the other the sunlit
waves of the Pacific rise to frolic with
the winds. All around are the deep,
dark green of the orange groves, decked
with their sweet blossoms or crowned
with their wealth of golden fruit. Be-
tween them are the broad stretches Of
the vineyards, and beyond the plains
green with the sprouting grain and
grass crops or yellow with the golden
harvest. In the glorious light of q
southern California day the sight is per
haps the finest the sun in his diurnal
coursellooks down upon. In the fore
ground are the homes of Los Angeles,
surrounding the busy hum OF her traffic
center. These homes are fair indeed,
built in the best style of modern archi-
lecture, and literally embowered in the
leaf and flower of the choicest plants
roses aud mignonette that bloom all the
year round, fuchsias that grow TO the
tops of the verandahs, and rare bignonias
that grow nowhere else out of doors on
this continent. falling in showers OF
golden bloom from pillars twenty feet
high.
The tract itselfis very diversified in out.
line and contour. Between hills are deep
ravines and gorgeswhere lakes, waterfalls
purling streams, grottoes, walks, arbors
L 4 n.