The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-02
1T is A DISGRACE.
State House Lawn in a Wretched
Condition.
Flowers, Wither and Die and
Grass Is Brown.
WHO is TO BLAME2
Custodian Collins Says He HASN'T
Enough Help.
Governor HOch Laments Bitterly
WHO is TO BLAME 2
Governor HOch Laments Bitterly
About the Conditions.

@1@-
ment which is responsible for the ut
terly wretched appearance Of the state
house grounds this summer?
Not since the state house was COM
pleted and the grounds laad out have
things been in such a hopeless confus-
ion of drought. famine and sudden
death. II F. D. Coburn were to issue
a crop report on the strength of what
he sees outside of his window in the
state house, he would declare that
Kansas had turned into a desert. be-
sprinkled with oases of rank and lux
urious weeds
Instead of rich beds OF foliage ana
radiant growths of lowering plants,
such have adorned the state house
grounds IN years past, the so-called
flower beds are a barren waste, in
habited by a few withered and tuber-
cular looking sticks which might have
been selected from the refuse of some
greenhouse. Long whiskers of unclip-
ped grass fringe the beds. project over
the sidewalks, and invade the drive
ways. Weeds occupy all the available
space between the perennial plants,
which have managed to survive in
spite of adversely Apparently the
well-meaning laborer assigned to keep
up the flower beds has given up hope
at the appalling magnitude of his task,
and the flowers have followed his ex-
ample and decided that life is not worth
living If il is the object Of the state
to show visitors what it looks like
out in the short-grass country, during
an exceptionally unproductive season.
the present condition of the state house
grounds is an admirable success
Under the south drive way there is
an accumulation of rubbish and litter
of al kinds which shows signs Of long
and continued residence undisturbed
by the mOlestatiOn of rake or shovel
All over the grounds the trees are
sadly in need of attention. Long
branches, weighted down by foliage.
are dragging the ground and making
/ navigation dangerous for those who
happen to use the sidewalks. Some Of
/ the trees are utterly and hopelessly
dead, but they are allowed to remain
probably for the lack Of anybody to
give the orders for their removal
Who is responsible for this disgracefuI
condition Of affairs? The man who
bears the title of custodian of the state
house grounds is J. c. Collins of Miami
county. one of Tom Kelly's appointees.
But Mr.. Collins says that he is not to
blame. He says the f. -ult is with the
last legislature which cut down the
number of janitOrs and lawn men under
his charge from IS to u.
Mr.. Collins himself is an agricultur-
list He farms mostly by proxy it is
said. He does not pretend to oe a
landscape gardener Last summer he
had in his employ a man named Bass
who thoroughly understood the culture
of flowers and the care Of lawns and
Mr. Bass vas practically in fun charge
OF the gardening al the state house. But
Bass and Collins did not get along well.
and for some reason Bass failed to be
reappointed.
SO when the time came to start the
gardening this spring, Collins was not
only obliged to do the work with less
men than he had last year. but he had
lost the only man in his force who knew
anything about gardening. There seem
ed to be no one to take hold of the work
Of fixing up the flower beds, and see
that it was properly attended to. The
$500 appropriated for care of the state
house grounds was the same as in 1905,
but it did not seem to produce the same
results. The state house drew on the
reform school and the insane asylum
for all the flowers that could be spared
from those greenhouses and of course
got what was left" Then somebody
ordered a lot of flowers from local green
houses and seed men,
Wind and bad weather interfered
with the flowers at the start and lack Of
proper care has done the rest. The
flower beds are a fizzle. and it Is doubt
ful whether they will amount TO any
thing this summer. Now IS the time they
ought to be looking their best
There seems TO. be an evident lack Of
good management in the work about
the grounds. Two men are detailed TO
NOW the lawn, and 2 third man attends
to the flower beds But there seems 10
be no arrangement by which the lawn
men can be used for gardening, or the
gardener for lawn work in case OF
emergency. So the lawn men keep on
moving the lawn whether it needs il
or not and the flower beds are allowed
to go TO rack and ruin for lack of at
tention It ought to be somebody's
4n11c m. K n
ter order.
What the state ought to have is an
efficient gardener, who understands his
business to take full charge of the
be under the orders of the custodian,
but should have full charge of the
grounds, while the custodian has
charge of the building. -Four good
men ought TO be ample to take care
Of the lawns and the gardens. That
would be one more than the number
employed at the present time.
Governor Hoch said the other day
in talking about the wretched appear
ance of the grounds this summer;
1t certainly is deplorable that
1 things should be in such a condition
understand that Mr.. Collins says that
he is short Of men. and cannot attend
TO the work. 1t is my idea that the
state should sink its own wells. and
put in aspumping station in connection
/ with the heating plant which Will fur
nish water for the state house and for
the lawns. Then we can have fifty
| hydrants scattered over that lawn. and
| keep the grass green and beautiful in
the hottest weather. We ought also to
have a state greenhouse for the ex-
press purpose Of raising flowers for
/ the state house and executive mansion
/ The greenhouses at the asylum and
reform school are not large enough to
supply the state house needs. They
could not even supply flowers for
planting around the executive man@