The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-19

The appointment some time ago of
Mrs. A. E. McCrea as landscape archi-
teet for Lincoln park, Chicago, at sal
airy of $1,000 a year should be regarded
as fact of more than passing interest
to women the country over, since 1t
opens up to the woman wage Garner I'M
! limited opportunities in a practically
unoccupied field At present only TWO
women in this whole great country or
spacious grounds and lordly parks nave
taken up this profession; Miss BeatriX
Jones of New York, who has made
conspicuous success of her chosen and
delightful work, and Mrs. McCrea, who
I recipient of large sums of money for
/ the laying out of public and private
/ grounds all through the Middle West.
+ Mrs. MeCrea is an enthusiast upon
the subject of women's entering this
| profession, and would gladly encour-
! age any number-providing they were
| properly constituted temperamentally
Ito take up the work. believing that
| they would not be long in creating
general demand for their services.
The Way 1t Happened.
She laid the foundation of her knowl-
/ edge by years of intimate companion
rship with her husband, who was
landscape gardener of wide reputation
! 1t was Mrs. McCrea's custom TO &C
company her husband wherever he
went upon his business trips, and al
most without knowing it, she absorbed
a knowledge of soils, shrubs End trees,
of times and seasons, of contracts,
plans and designs, together with per-
sonal acquaintance with the best grow
/ frU n
vein Mr.. McCrea one day remarked
to her:
'If anything should ever happen to
me, you could go on with my business.
/ You really do not appreciate how much
you know about it. But if you were to
/ talk with the leading men in this pro-
! feSsion you would be surprised to find
/ how nearly you are on a par with
them
This casual remark thrown off at
random moment, came back to Mrs.
/ McCrea when after weary months of
travel and the hopeless fight of her
/ husband against consumption, she
/ found herself alone with her two little
! daughters, and a very meagre estate.
/ Her method of beginning was to watch
1 the papers to ascertain where govern
ment or state appropriations had been
made for beautifying grounds, or even
IOr erecting buildings she would then
/ go to the town or city indicated, look
up superintendent and directors, and
ask the privilege of submitting plans
and estimates. Aided by the reputation
/ OF her husband and fortified with in
domitable pluck, she met with success
/ from the start. Her first work making
a hit, she was passed along with good
word from the authorities, and never
4 had to experience the dreary lessons of
! financial embarrassment.
The Back Yard Experiment.
In view of the limited opportunities
or professional training in this subject,
/ Mrs McCrea's advice to those wishing
! to equip themselves for the work is to
! first secure the best books upon the
subject and to familiarize themselves
with the fundamental principles COM
mon to all. and then begin experiment.
! ing. One back yard, if only city lot,
viii do for thes-Grst efforts. If this
lot is enclosed by high board fence,
one should begin by painting that color
to harmonic with the foliage Against
this should first appear a few high
! growing shrubs ike lilacs, spirea, etc.
then perhaps some that do not grow