The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-09
IN PLANT BERMUDA GRASS.
mi COLONIAL PARK AND SOME OF
-ur SQUARES TO BE SET WITH 1T.


-. park and Tree Commission VIII
rxneriments With other Varieties
g, other squares-A Good Lawn
crass which VIII stay Green All
he Year Round Wanted-COmmis-
.fouer BaIdwin's Plans for the I'M
,rovement of the Parks in the
xortbern Section of the City-He
Promises TO Park Bay Street.-The
commission Cannot Be Guilty of
ExtravaEance.
The city engineers Office has completed
,be plat of the old cemetery made for Mr..
p Berckmans of Augusta, who has
agreed 10 present a plan for the CONVEX
SION Of the cemetery into a park.
The plat has been forwarded to Mr..
rerekmans and it is expected that his
Man will be received here in a few days.
Il will doubtless be adopted and the work
of carrying it out will begin at once.
on account of the lateness of the sea-
son if will be impossible for the commits
sinners to make more than beginning
This spring, but the work will be renewed
next fall. Mr.. Bercksman expressed the
o,inion when here that the park can
easily he made a most attractive spot.
TIL work of clearing up and cleaning out
the old cemetery is. nearly completed This
nroved to be no small job. Besides plow-
ing up the place and raking off the weeds
and grass it was necessary to remove
quantity of roots and stumps of old trees.
The appearance of the cemetery is al
ready greatly improved. One of the first
things to be done will be to sow the
place in grass.
Commissioner Baldwin, who has special
charge of the new park, said yesterday
that Bermuda grass will be planted, as it
is the only grass he mas been able TO
lind which can be relied upon to produce
a good smooth lawn in this section OF
the country, and which remains green
during the greater part of the year. The
place was already well sodded with Ber-
Inuda, and the cleaning up which the
place has been given will not injure the
roots 1t will be replanted, however,
wherever it appears to be necessary.
we shall make experiments with diff
ferent grasses in the parks of the city,
said Mr.. Baldwin, with the hope of find
ing a grass which will grow in the shade
and also remain green the year round.
The Bermuda is the only absolutely re-
liable lawn grass known in this section
of the south. 1t does not remain green in
winter, however. The Bermuda is
tough hardy grass and will be planted in
those squares which are most frequented
by the children. While we desire to I'M
prove the squares, it is our intention that
they shall continue to be pleasure spots,
and this idea will be kept in view in the
work of improvement. We have conf
dence enough in the people to believe that
they will appreciate this work which is
done in their interests, and the people l1V
ing around the squares and those who
frequent them win cooperate with the
commissioners in protecting them and pre-
venting the destruction OF the improve
ments."
Mr. Baldwin believes that special at
tention should be given to the squares in
the northern section of the city and es-
pecially the green on the north side of
'There is a large population in the
northern section of the city, especially on
the east and west Sides" he said, who
do not get the benefits of Forsyth Park
and the squares on Bull street. They are
the very people who are the most in need
of such places of resort The man of
means can take his family to Thunder
bolt during the week, or he can send them
out in carriage to get the air. The
squares afford breathing and resting
places for the people who cannot afford
this and Fairgrounds for their children.
The park on the north side of Bay street
can be greatly improved and made one of
the most attractive spots in the city. The
whole space not required for streets along
the north side of Bay street should be
converted into a park. The space from
Aberconr to East Broad street is already
larry well SUuutQ WIFI grass anu Is SuS-
cepuble of easy Improvement. The va
cant space from the city exchange west
TO Montgomery street should be
sodded in like manner and con-
yerted into a park. There should also
be an avenue of trees from one end of
Bay street to the other. When thus i'm
proved the walk along Bay street would
be the most pleasant in the whole city"
1t is Mr.. Baldwin's intention to put
these ideas into effect as soon it is pos
sibe to do so. The reports of the con-
temptation of large expenditures for i'm
provements by the park and tree commits
SION are entirely without foundation, Mr..
Baldwin said.
I'VE are simply taking the same amount
Of money" said he " which the city has
been appropriating for the parks year af-
ter year and endeavoring to accomplish
great deal more with it. We expect to
accomplish a great deal, but it will. be
done within the limit of the appropria-
lion allowed by the city. We have no
opportunity for extravaganza even if we
were so inclineu. The appropriation for
the Improvement of the old cemetery is
me only increased expenditure for parks
and squares this year and that will be
money Well sDent -