The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-07-24
THE ARMY's PARKS
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away from the well-worn ways Of the
sightseers, are to war Departments
greenhouses. These houses have nc
connection with military matters, but
are used for the propagation Of al
the Various species OF flowers, shrubs
and plants that ornament the parks Of
the National Capital, with the excep.
tion of the bulb supply, which comes
from Holland. This summer the whole
city is brilliant with beds Of red can.
mas. purple heliotrope, and pink ant
red geranium, all Of which have been
growed and planted by the War De-
partment.
Just why the administration of q
municipal park system, including the
propagation of flowers, should be as.
signed to the War Department itself
has never been satisfactory explained
to the War Department itself but the
popular story is that the parks were
|originally planned for military rea-
sons. At the time Major L'Enfant was
preparing his plans of the capital for
President Washington, the French
Revolution was drawing to an end.
"A young Corsican by the name Of Bon
iaparte had suddenly appeared, placed
his cannon in the center of the public
squares of Paris, and thus laid siege
to four streets at once. Immediately
the mob rule was broken and replaced
by martial law, and the whole world,
including Major L'Enfant, was much
impressed by the strategic qualifica-
Itions of city parks Hence Washing
ton was given many squares and cir
Giles and triangles after the fashion Of
Paris, and these we're placed under
the supervision of the War DEPART
ment.
Whatever the true reason for plac-
ing the arrangement with the depart
ment. the results have proved that the
choice was wise. With their usual re-
markable executive ability, the mill
tary authorities have put as much
energy and thought into taking care
Of the parks and growing flowers as
they would into planning a military
campaign. Today. Washington has the
finest park system in the country with
a working force of thirty skilled gard
eners, large greenhouse facilities and
its own mounted police force. There
are four hundred parks in all, com
Uprising an area of twelve hundred
acres. and for the flower beds scatter
ed throughout their length the green
houses raise between six and seven
hundred thousand plants each year.
Crock Greek Park is not included in
these figures. since it alone is under
municiple jurisdiction.)
AS each new season approaches, the
old flowers are removed and new ones
substituted. the change being made so
quickly in some instances that one
morning there are panies in a flower
bed and the next morning tall red can
mas. Take. for example, Lafayette
Park, which is directly opposite the
White House, and for that reason is
probably more familiar to visitors than
any other. This park is never with
out floral displays of one kind or an
other from early March to late Octo-
Der. the fading summer plants are dug
up and the soil fortified, after which
in some beds are planted Holland
bulbs, while in others are placed pansy
plants that have been growing in the
greenhouses ever since the preceding
July. BY the first of March the first
crocuses and jonQuils have crept up;
"a little later the hyacinths and tulips
are all in bloom, and in May the pan
sizes begin to blossom. The color eff
fects achieved by using these different
varieties of plants are such as to COM
mand the admiration of the most
casual pedestrian. A bed of bright
red tulips against the light-green
background of early spring foliage, or
a bed of purple, yellow and white
pansies invariably causes the stranger
to stop and pay silent or explanatory
tribute to their beauty.
By the end of May, however, the
pansies are all gone, as well as the
bulb flowers, and the beds are then
planted with landscape effects of hello
trope and geraniums, and masses of
tall cannas. These plants are pro-
pagated in the green houses from slips
taken from the original plants. and,
in the case of cannas, the roots. The
parks are patrolled by a number of
bicycle and unmounted policemen who
see that waste paper and rubbish are
not scattered over the well-kept
lawns, and who protect the flowers
and blooming shrubs from acts of van
dalism This separate police force has
proved so extremely efficient and sat
isfactory with the Washington park
system that now other cities are con-
templating adopting the plan.
The most attractive of the city parks
IL Datouna. DARK xuhioh atratohaa for