It should be understood that the following notes apply more particularly to cemetery tracts of the larger sizes, not especially diversified in topography, adjoining the larger cities and in which the first cost of the ground is high and the expenses of development heavy. It may be stated that they are written more especially for conditions where the platted lots represent a cost of $2,000 and upwards per acre, exclusive of buildings, and where the average price obtained per square foot is 75¢ or more; it being understood also that a large proportion of the lot and grave owners are of the poorer classes and necessarily desirous of being as economical in their expenditures as possible.

In those cemeteries where the first cost of the ground and the subsequent development are low, a more liberal allowance as to the sizes in the smaller lots and the space allowed for the single graves will be permissible. It is always to be remembered, however, that every additional foot of ground entails a continuing additional expense for future care; that every foot of ground needlessly used for drives, either by excessive width of the roadway or by providing for more drives than are absolutely necessary, is a serious burden for the future. There is not only the loss of the receipts from the sale of the ground so wasted, but the continuing heavy expense of maintaining the extra driveway, which is very much greater than the expense of maintaining the same area in lawn or shrubbery planted ground.

SECTIONS

The sizes and shapes of the sections will, of course, be determined by the general landscape plan and the layout of the roads; each separate tract surrounded by driveways being considered a section, although it will generally be found advisable to divide the spaces lying between the driveways and the boundaries of the cemetery into several sections by lines cut through the narrower parts. It is not a good practice to arrange for the driving of carts into the sections for the purpose of removing grave dirt and the like and the writer believes it is generally abandoned. For convenience in working, therefore, these sections having, drives on both sides should not exceed 300 feet in width except where the lay of the ground makes it absolutely necessary and on the other hand they should not be greatly less than 200 feet in width, both through motives of economy and from the standpoint of general effect. The sections along the boundaries which have a drive on only one side should not exceed 150 feet, nor be less than 100 feet in width as a general rule.

It is our custom considering the high cost value of the property, to allow only ten feet free space between the boundary sections and the line fence, this, of course, being densely planted to trees and shrubbery. The formal hedge-like appearance which it would otherwise obtain being avoided by running the planting out at intervals, somewhat more thinly, into the lots.

The length of the sections should not be less than three times their width and we find sections 700 to 800 feet long not to be objectionable. The laying out of these long sections saves the loss of ground, the expense of making and the maintenance of large areas of driveways.

Another point to be considered is that practically all the vistas in cemetery landscape are down the drives and the adjacent lots, and the only way that long and attractive views can be obtained is by long sweeps of slightly swinging drives; the adjacent lots being deep, the monuments being placed at the back part of the lot and planting undulating towards and away from the driveways to conceal many of the monuments in the long vistas and partly conceal practically all of them. It is to be hoped; however, in this connection that no cemetery superintendent will attempt to make the final layout of his grounds without calling in the assistance of some landscape architect who has had long and successful experience in, the laying out of cemeteries. No matter how competent the superintendent is or how long his experience in cemetery work has been, his training is in the line of administration and development and the writer believes that in ninety-nine cases out of one hundred the aid of an experienced landscape gardener will be of untold value, not only to the superintendent himself but to those who employ him. It is, not the business of the cemetery superintendent to design a cemetery. His work is to develop the cemetery after the plans are made and to administer the affairs in a businesslike way. He is not an artist but a hard-headed business man. Of course, it is necessary that he have a wide knowledge of the technical parts of the work and thoroughly appreciate the results desired to be obtained from the plans. The work of laying out the cemetery should be done by consultation between the landscape gardener and the superintendent, the former giving his wide knowledge and general experience, the latter modifying the ideas of the former to fit the particular conditions with which he is necessarily so familiar.

LOTS

When the point of the subdivision of the sections into lots is• reached, then the work must be done by the superintendent. Conditions in the different cemeteries differ so greatly that it is impossible to properly and economically subdivide the section without an exact and intimate knowledge of local conditions and of the character and wishes of the people who patronize the cemetery.

In those cemeteries where a large proportion of the lot buyers are well-to-do or wealthy people, the lots, of course, will be laid out into larger sizes and less regard will be paid to keeping them in shapes best, adapted for the maximum number of burials with the minimum use of ground. On the other hand, in cemeteries where a large proportion of the lot buyers belong to the poorer classes the lots must be laid out in smaller sizes, as nearly rectangular as possible and the dimensions so figured as to allow the greatest possible number of burials in the smallest space.

Returning again to the subject of vistas along the drives, the reasons given there make it necessary that the lots adjoining the drives be large ones and that they have good depth; a minimum depth of twenty feet should be the standard and this should be increased to forty feet or more to as great an extent as it is possible to dispose of such large lots. A planting space of not less than two feet should be left between the lots and the drives. This is useful as a place for the laying of water pipes and occasional drains, forms a protection to the lot against vehicles and horses and prevents the setting of any headstone too close to the drive. A wider space up to four feet would be desirable from many points of view, but considering the loss of ground and the expense of maintenance it is not to be generally advised.
 
The minimum depth of the front lot, as stated, is twenty feet. This, with the planting space of two feet, gives a depth to the back of the lot of twenty-two feet and if the monument is placed within a foot or so of the back of the lot and the other lots on the other side of the drive are treated in a similar way, an open stretch of ground of fifty feet or more, including the drive, is preserved unobstructed by monumental structures. Adjoining the front lot and extending back to a four foot walk parallel with the drive should be another lot a little shallower than the front lot perhaps, or of equal depth. The minimum depth, however, of any lot should not be less than 17 feet. This gives space for two tiers of graves with their headstones (16 feet) and six inches between the borders of the lot and the ends of the graves, which should be the minimum allowance, one foot, of course, being better. Where some very large lots are desired and the laying out of the whole outer border into very deep lots would produce too many of the larger sizes, they can be alternated, one lot running clear over to the back walk, being 37 feet or more in depth, the next being cut into two, a front lot of 20 feet and a back lot of 17 feet.

A walk of four feet in width, it will be noted, has been recommended. The writer has found it an absolute waste to layout any walk over four feet in width. This gives ample space for drains and water pipes and as there is no teaming in the sections, there is no need for anything wider. At occasional intervals cross walks are to be constructed, running in as far as the first walk, at right angles with the drive and then going square across the center of the section on lines best adapted to the rectangular subdivision of the inside, turning again at the opposite side of the section to meet the opposite drive at right angles.

Several points must be considered in determining the width of the lots on the drives. It should be understood that all dividing lines between these lots must be erected perpendicular to the drive. The width of the front of the lot where it is desired to make the lots rather small and especially where the drive curves outward strongly, must be fixed by a. minimum width of the inside lot on the walk, as it is to be remembered that setting the dividing lines perpendicular to the drive makes them approach more closely as they come to the inside walk and if the front on the drive is made narrow, the front on the inside walk will be too short. In such cases it will be necessary to space off minimum widths along the walk for the inside lots and let the frontage of the outside ones come as it will by dropping perpendiculars. On the other hand, where the drive curves in, the reverse condition will exist and the minimum frontages must be spaced along the drive and the perpendiculars allowed to strike where they will on the inside walk.

One of the main things to be done in dividing a section into lots is to see at the time that no subsequent grouping or crowding of monuments can possibly occur. Where a large demand exists for small lots, it is an excellent practice to layout alternately two wide ones and then two narrow ones, the narrow ones to be sold with the agreement, which is entered in the deed, that no monument shall be ever erected upon them. In this way a large number of very: desirable small lots can be provided and yet the general appearance of the grounds be in no way injured. Our practice in the cheaper parts of the cemetery is to make these small lots 8½ or 11 feet front in the narrow part. By placing burials close together this gives three graves in width and allows a six inch space between the outer graves and the lot line. An 8½ foot front by 17 feet deep will give six graves with headstones. We do not in practice, however, layout anything less than 18 feet deep. In the larger lots grave spaces of 3x9 are allowed and from that on up to 4x10.

When this part of the work is decided upon and the lots staked with temporary wooden stakes, we have a planting space of two feet wide running entirely around the section, a lot 20 feet or more in depth back of that, another lot 18 feet or more in depth further back and adjoining it, and a walk four feet in width running entirely aroui1d the section and parallel with the drive, connected at convenient intervals by cross walks with the drives. These lots, will none of them be square, although where the drive does not curve very much, they are approximate rectangles and the stronger the curve of the drive the more wedge shaped they will be. Enclosed by this walk is the center area of the section and the aim should be to divide this area into rectangular plots of sizes adapted to meet the requirements of the lot buyers. Unless this part of the section is very desirable and is well elevated, it is proper to subdivide it into small lots, in so far as they are needed. Our own practice in regard to very small plots, that is three and four grave lots, is to layout lots 17 feet front and 18 feet in depth. These can be re-divided into halves, making two 6 grave lots, or .into quarters making four 3 grave lots, or into two spaces 9x11 and one space 6x18, making three 4 grave lots; all of these small lots, of course, to be sold without the monument privilege. A lot on which a monument is to be erected should not be less than 20 feet in depth and the maximum frontage should not be less than 11 feet. This width is almost too narrow, however, unless on each side of the lot a no-monument lot is laid out. Two monument lots 11 feet front and adjoining each other will bring the monuments less than 10 feet apart, which is certainly an objectionable practice. In the no-monument lot the size of 11x19 covers an 8 grave lot, or 13½x18 covers a 10 grave lot. 11X20 and 13½x20 make monument lots of similar capacity. In the better parts of the ground 12X20 is a more desirable size for an 8 grave lot and from that on up.

Careful planning is necessary to avoid, as far as possible, triangular lots or lots with long, sharp, tapering corners. Of course, some spaces of this kind will be unavoidable, but it is our practice to cut off these sharp corners and throw the small triangles into the walk, leaving spaces which can be planted with shrubs or used for waste receptacles if surrounded by shrubbery. In practice each lot, of course, is given a frontage on a walk and if two lots are 18 feet in depth this will make the walks 36 feet apart. Cross walks, of course, must be provided at intervals. We have not found it necessary to make cross walks closer than 200 feet apart, and have not found 240 or even 250 feet very objectionable. One point to be remembered in the laying out of all lots is to have no curved lines. Curved lot lines as laid out by the surveyor by the swinging of a radial line, are very objectionable and very difficult to re-establish after monuments and headstones are erected on the lots. If the drive curves very strongly so that a straight line drawn from corner to corner of the front leaves too much width in the planting space, one or two points may be set in along the roadway two feet from its edge and straight lines may be drawn connecting them, the idea being to have every boundary line of a lot a straight line which can always be verified and the points replaced if necessary. In the case of a circular section, which, by the way, is an abomination, points may be set at frequent intervals, maintaining the circular edge of the roadway but making the lot an octagon or similar figure. Small triangular sections, which are always to be avoided when possible, or if they are used must be sold at a very high price in order to reimburse for the waste ground and the additional driveway, may be laid out by erecting perpendiculars from the center of each of• the three sides to meet at a middle point, making three lots. The pointed ends of other sections may, of course, be thrown into one lot in this way. 

In laying out walks, due regard must be had for the general direction of the travel. If the natural course of visitors is lengthways of the section, then the walks must be run largely lengthways, otherwise paths will be worn across the lots. It should be born in mind that every foot of ground in a walk is not only a loss but a constant future expense for care, and much study must be given to so laying out the lots that the minimum amount of ground will be wasted in walks.

After all the lots are staked temporarily, a rough plat or sketch of the section should be made, the lots given their proper numbers, and concrete corner posts prepared and set at the outside corners, or such other markers as may be decided on. The inside corners may be marked by white topped terra cotta markers. The plan in force for marking lots with us, which has worked exceedingly well and saved much time by reason of the visitors being able to find the lots without having some one sent to show them the way, is to have the outside corner posts made eight inches square (we should reduce this to about 6 inches, however, except for the sake of uniformity, having started on the 8-inch basis). Each marker contains the word "Sec." and the number of the section. In addition to that the word "Lot" is twice repeated and the numbers of two lots, it being set one-half in each lot. In this way the visitor, by finding one corner stone, knows immediately what section he is in. The stones are made of concrete 18 inches deep and are faced off like a cement sidewalk; the letters and figures are properly assembled in a form and pressed in at one operation. The expense of these posts, set in place, of course, flush with the ground, is about 35¢, dependent largely on the cost of material, with labor at $2 per day. It is very strongly to be advised that all corner stones be made and set at once. The work can be done very much cheaper if all are set at once instead of setting one by one as the lots are sold; there is no subsequent trouble over the loss of stakes, no subsequent variation by errors in replacing stakes with the stones and if the work is done in this way the final surveying, measuring and platting of the lots can be left until the permanent markers are in. In addition to this it will be found a great convenience in showing and selling lots and make it possible to largely avoid the exceedingly annoying error of showing a man one lot and giving him a deed for another number.

If the cemetery is laid out into 200 foot square, the intersections, of the lot lines with the lines of those 200 foot squares can be noted, the lots then measured up and platted very readily.

SINGLE GRAVES

Single graves are of two classes--the common single grave which is designed to be sold at the very lowest possible price, and the select or preferred single grave which is practically a small lot for one interment. The less desirable parts of the grounds should be selected for single grave districts, and preferably they should be adjoining the boundary of the cemetery and in a location where the visitors to the lots will not pass them. They should, also, if possible, be so located that the crowds of people going to and from the single graves will not be tempted to cross other sections and wear paths in the sod. A very large area should be provided, if possible, to cover all needs in common single graves for many years. This should be of sufficient width to take 50 or more adult graves side by side and should adjoin a drive. A very good practice is to call this one large lot and to subdivide it into long strips at right angles to the drive. These strips are of sufficient width to take an adult grave and headstone; that is, 8 feet in width and if calculated for 50 graves should be 125 feet long, 2½ feet being allowed for each grave space; rough boxes in this locality running 26 or 28 inches wide. Of course, where the general run of adult rough boxes is wider, more space will have to be allowed.

These tiers are numbered generally from the south line of the lot north, as Tier 1 North, Tier 2 North, etc.; the graves in each tier being numbered from the driveway. An 8-inch square stone is set along the drive at each tier, marked "Sec. -, Lot -, Tier I North," etc. and another similar stone should be placed at the other end of the tier. By stretching a line between these two stones, all the graves in the tier can be carefully lined up and the headstones can easily be set in the proper location. The grave spaces being accurately maintained, if it is desired to find any grave in the tier, no matter if all stakes and other markers have disappeared, it is simply a case for careful measurement.

The graves in the tiers are to be marked with round cement or tile markers, each marker bearing two numbers; the number of the tier above, which will be the same for each grave in the tier, and below, the number of the grave in the tier, which, of course, will vary for each grave. The description of any grave is entered in the grave receipt as follows: "Lot _, Section _, Tier __ North, Grave __”.  With this description and a little explanation it will be found that the grave owners can in almost all cases locate the grave they are looking for, thus saving a very large amount of time in the future which would otherwise be used in pointing out the location.

It will be noted in this article that the writer pays no attention to laying out the grounds for the burial of bodies east and west. In the locality of Chicago the old idea that all bodies should be buried due east and west has been abandoned and no attention whatever is paid to the points of the compass. The lots face in all directions and the burial is made entirely with reference to the conditions of the individual lot.

Headstones, of course, in the single grave sections will be kept very low, preferably not over six inches high, will be limited to one foot in thickness and not less than six inches and should be made six inches narrower than the width of the grave; that is, 24 inches, or less.

Between every four tiers, that are 32 feet apart, four foot walks are placed for drains, water pipes and access. Of course, this system contemplates that no mounds whatever shall be raised on the common single graves. The burials are begun at the point farthest from the drive and progress towards the drive, to avoid passing over the graves already buried.

The select or preferred graves are a higher priced proposition and should be of larger area and may be in better locations. We have found it a not bad proposition to take small lots here and there in the cheaper sections of six or eight grave, capacity and divide them, selling them out singly. They being so few in number and being maintained in the same way as the lot graves, they have not been found to be objectionable. (These graves are numbered on the same plan as the common singles; that is, the description of any grave will carry the lot and section number and will be Tier __ North, East or West as the case may be, and Grave __, North, East, or West, as the case may be.

* * *
The laying out of lots and single grave districts is not a matter in itself of great difficulty, although it requires accuracy in the making of the final plat and very careful study. Bad judgment used in this work is costly, either when it causes waste of ground or when it results in an awkward and inconvenient layout. After the plat is recorded and sales are once started in the section no changes can be made, hence the maxim to be observed is "Make haste slowly and study carefully."

The foregoing, as stated in the beginning, applies largely to the laying out of lots in cemeteries where the ground is fairly uniform in its character. The more broken and diverse the character of the sections, the more will the superintendent be compelled to vary from thee plans suggested here. It will be found very difficult to sell a lot which lies lower than the adjacent walk or drive hence it is evident that where there are depressions in the shape of small gullies, walks shall in all cases follow them. Where circular depressions exist, in grading the section they will, of course, be filled to a certain extent. It is an axiom that no part of a section should be so graded as to allow water to stand upon it.

Of course the superintendent will take advantage of mounds and desirable parts of the sections to lay them out in large lots and will be guided by the slope of the ground in setting his stakes and in facing his lots. In a general way the less desirable parts of the sections will be cut into small lots and the more desirable the ground the larger the lot this simply as a plain business proposition. The prominent parts at intersections of the drives should be laid out into one or several large lots and if the point of the section is quite sharp it will be advisable to cut back the lot some little distance and use the space so left out for the planting of shrubbery. 

PRICING

While not coming strictly within the scope of this paper, the pricing of lots is intimately connected with it and a few words may be advisable.

The writer does not believe in pricing lots to the customer by the square foot. Separate prices should be fixed for each lot as a whole. These can be arrived at by fixing a square foot basis for a certain section or for parts of the section, estimating the area and obtaining the price in that way, adding a little to the prices of the more desirable lots and perhaps deducting a little from the lots which will be less readily saleable. For instance, it will be found that lots on the drive or on an elevated part of the section will be sold very readily and in order to prevent their being taken up immediately the section is placed on sale, a material advance must be made in the price of such lots, the general idea being to price each lot according to the sale ability. It is our practice to increase the price of the lots bordering on drives about 10 to 15 percent to add about 10 percent, to corner lots or to lots having a walk on two of their sides. In the smaller lots it is also the practice to add about 10 percent, to a lot on which a monument is allowed over that on which one is not allowed, or if it is not desired to increase the total price of the section, an advance of 5 percent could be made on the monument lot and a reduction of 5 percent on the lot on which no monument is allowed; That is a good proposition in several ways. In the first place it costs more to care for a lot with a monument on it than one on which there is no monument. In the second place it is well worth while to offer inducements to the small lot owner to dispense with a monument.

The writer is not averse to a reasonable number of monuments of good design and material in a cemetery and believes it will be found impossible to prevent their use. The monument is with us and with us to stay. The evils of the monument are good monuments badly placed; bad monuments, that is, of poor material or faulty design, wherever placed, and the crowding of monuments. The poor material and the faulty design are found largely in the cheaper class of lots and the classes of people who buy these lots have a strong tendency to save on the size of the lot and put the money into a monument, thereby frequently making the monument just that much more hideous and unsightly.

I would not be understood as taking the position that a small monument cannot be just as attractive and just as artistic as a large one. In theory they can be, in practice they are not.

PLATS

It is well to adopt a standard scale of all plats. Perhaps the best scale for the original plat is one of 20 feet to the inch. Larger than this becomes unwieldly and a smaller scale does not allow sufficient space. The original plat should be made on a first class quality of cloth backed paper and all construction figures should appear thereon. From this a tracing can be made for record, and in this connection it should be noted that, in the state of Illinois, at least, a severe penalty is provided for those who fail to have a plat of each section recorded with the public recorder before making sales. For working plats, blue prints, etc., a reduced plat to the scale of 40 feet to the inch may be made. A copy of this on tracing cloth with the lines drawn somewhat heavier and the numbers and dimension figures also made heavier, may be reduced photographically for a zinc etching at a very small expense and this can be printed from' very cheaply, thus making it possible to furnish each lot owner with a plat of the section in which his lot is, so that he can readily locate it without having to take the time of the employees in showing him where it is.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Convention
Held at New York City, NY
September 14, 15 and 16, 1909

Among the various subjects for our consideration at this time, is that of "Trees, Shrubs and Plants for the Adornment of the Cemetery." The subject is vast and unbounded. Our country extends from the Arctic to the Torrid Zone. It may be said of it, it is the glory of all lands; and within its bounds are twenty-four (24) botanical classes of plants, with no less a multitude than thirty thousand species, and an endless variety in the species. From this vast array of beauties, each superintendent will have to select for himself that which will flourish in his particular location.

Let us not forget that every plant, from the lichen that clings to the rocks, to the majestic redwood Sequoia Gigantica which adorns the hills of California, is an expression of our beneficent Creator's good will to men. It was a paradise we lost; we are to regain a paradise. When earth and all which it contains shall have passed away within the precincts of a future world, the family of man shall partake of joys depicted under the alluring imagery of a garden, a pure crystal stream, refreshing bowers and luxuriant verdure. It is meet that we should beautify the resting place of our dead, relieve the gloom of death and make the cemetery a pleasing retreat for reverent contemplation.

Whatever planting is done in the lots should be done under the direction of the superintendent. If flowers are desired by the lot holder, they should be planted in beds, circles or crescents, so that they will not interfere with the cutting of the grass. Flowering shrubs are more becoming than tender flowers; a clump of hardy ever blooming roses, White Musk Cluster, Red Rambler, Hermosa; for single bushes Hydrangea Grandiflora is one of the best, but our hardy native Rhododendrons are beautiful all the year round, the fern-leaved birch gives the best shade and does not injure the grass, or stain marble or granite; it is also a pleasing object all the year round.

The best thing in a lot is a fine carpet of grass, and whatever is planted in the lot should be placed so that it will not obstruct the mowing. Trees and shrubs in the lots should be few and select. The screening plantations and sylvan scenery, with thousands of ornamental trees and shrubs should be outside the lots, properly on the borders of the cemetery. A judicious arrangement of the planting gives dignity to the landscape, sequestration and shelter.

The cemetery of which I have charge belongs to the classical city of Washington, PA, the woody land of Penn, the Keystone State of our Union, located among the rich hills of Washington County. When I took charge of the cemetery in 1868 most of the grounds were primeval forest. Our general plan is to leave sections of the forest between the lot sections. The effect is grand. We value these trees highly, not because of their commercial value, but because they were planted by the Lord of heaven and earth. The managers have given their superintendent a free hand to plant everything that will flourish in our location. Already we have a great variety in our old reserve forest, but will add many more as we find it convenient. The standard forest trees cannot be grown to perfection if transplanted. Oak, walnut, chestnut, hickory seeds should be planted as they fall from the trees and covered with wood's earth. As they grow, keep the stem or trunk covered with leaves, let the top go aloft, to any height desired, but protect the trunk with leaves, until the top branches shade the ground around the tree. Fibrous-rooted trees, such as maple, elms and poplars, can be transplanted without dwarfing them.

The white oak is, among the deciduous trees, what the cedar of Lebanon is among the evergreen trees. The way it takes hold of the earth, its perpendicular trunk, where it has room to spread, limbs very large, diverging at a very large but not uniform angle, from a broad, gnarled, massive juncture; some of them go out horizontally, variously contorted, much and variously branched, the higher limbs make a sharper angle, they all often make considerable bends, in any direction, upwards, downwards, or on either side, spray on many twigs at right angles in all directions, miniatures of the larger limbs. As an ornamental tree it is beautiful in every stage of its growth; at first light, slender, delicate and waving, at last, broad, massive and grand but always graceful. Let everyone who has an opportunity plant a white oak. When standing in a situation, where it is somewhat protected and has room freely to expand its limbs, it will improve in beauty and magnificence for many generations of men. It is the last tree on earth to yield to the storm. When standing together, the mixture of the various oaks makes an interesting and beautiful picture. Among the evergreen trees, the pines, spruces, firs, cypresses, north of Mason and Dickson's line, the white pine for beauty and utility heads the list. It bends to the storm, yet successfully resists its violence. All the coniferva are worthy of a place in the cemetery.

Managers and superintendents of American cemeteries and parks, as intelligent and patriotic citizens, should give good heed together and preserve our vegetable American beauties and give them a place in our public grounds, so that they may not disappear from the earth. Before the tremendous energies of our people the forests are going down like the harvest before the reaper. Comparatively there are still a few trees left. Like the latest left in their ancient strength they stand and tell us still of the sylvan years when the forest filled the land. Our worthy President Roosevelt, the Senate, Congress and the Legislatures of every State in the Union, besides the colleges and schools, have taken the forest-tree question into consideration. No doubt good will come to the nation through their deliberations.

Hardy Herbacous plants should find a place in every cemetery; they are beautiful and afford not only a great variety in form and color and habit of plant, but diversity in beauty of foliage, while the flowers present an endless variety in form and color, and in time of flowering they range from earliest spring to latest autumn. Have them arranged in families, according to the Linnean system of botany. Begin with range A, say 100 to the range, then range B; ten ranges to the block; then as many blocks as can be filled; use calcined numbers twelve inches in the ground and three inches above the surface and a catalogue to correspond, which will be of great use to botanical classes in the colleges, seminaries and high schools, but above all it will be one of the most interesting ornaments of the cemetery, more in place than, common flower beds.

Besides the importance vegetation has in the adornment of the cemetery, among the natural sciences none is more fitted for general education than botany. It relates to objects which are constantly within our reach and can be studied at all times; and it is fitted alike for young and old, for rich and poor. It makes us see wonderful beauty and arrangement even in the meanest weed. It adds brightness and pleasure to the hours of recreation. The works of God are wonderful and they are sought out of all that have pleasure therein. Let a student acquire a taste for science and he will proceed to search out more and more the objects around him. But while prosecuting with ardor the study of material things, let him not be misled by a false glare of science, which would lead him to ignore the power, the omniscience and constant superintendence of Him by whom all things were created and by whom they subsist every moment and while diligently acquiring a knowledge of earthly things let him not forget the better things of God's word, which alone can make him wise unto salvation.

Let me call your attention to the shading of avenues in the cemetery with the grand drapery of the forest. Of course we will have to use only such trees as are tough, to withstand storms. Say, one avenue white oak-Quercus Alba; a second avenue red oak-Quercus Rubra; and various other lofty oaks. The white ash, Fraxinus Acuminata, and various sorts; Magnolia Acuminata; several varieties of the elm; several varieties of the beech and hornbeam; the buttonwood tree, Platanus Occidentalis, could be used with fine effect. Both our native and European buttonwood trees are splendid in any position. The idea is to form an arch to any height desired over the roadway, of one particular kind of trees to any point desired. Then proceed with another sort, one sort of tree to each avenue. For vistas, raise the arches, or leave vacancies. To give variety, short dark avenues can be used in some locations. The white pine and Austrian pine are the best, for this purpose. The idea is to keep every avenue or part of the avenue, distinct with a distinct sort of tree. Of course we will have to use such trees as will flourish in the valley and on the hill and various soils. The various trees will give various shades; from the light and shimmering, to the dark of the gloaming, even at noonday.

Trees are a perpetual source of delight to all the senses of man, all the year round; the soothing summer sighing; in winter they sing to the storm. The greatest men, the human race has produced, have been interested in trees. Moses prayed earnestly, that he might be permitted to pass over and see the goodly land and Lebanon. He wished to see the cedars, and the oaks of Bashan.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 20th Annual Convention
Held at Detroit, MI
August 21, 22 and 23, 1906

I regard it as an honor and a privilege, to stand here. At the same time I realize the fact that my place ought to be out there and some of you should be up here and I ought to be listening to you. I am only distantly related to you. My work is landscape gardening and park work. Your work is very important and is coming close to us and I think it is a very good thing it is. I remember when I was a boy in Scotland. In my early life I can remember the old church yards and having a feeling of sadness and melancholy. A melancholy feeling would come over me. It was inevitable. Those were really cities, of the dead and apparently only for the dead. We are more progressive, and we are making a cemetery now a place for the living. We are adding to the cemeteries landscape ornamentation and making them now very attractive indeed. I learn many lessons when I go to some of your cemeteries. Some of your superintendents have excellent ideas and much skill and knowledge in landscape work. You have undoubtedly difficulties that I do not understand and cannot comprehend. Those difficulties are not insurmountable, however, because you have already overcome many of them. One difficulty I suppose you have which I am not familiar with and that is the ownership of your lots and sites. They must want, I suppose, some direction of the improvement of their several parcels and bodies of land in the cemeteries. It is difficult really under circumstances of that kind to have much landscape effect. I think that our finest cemeteries of the future will be those that have been well planned before any lots are sold and certain portions of the boundary, certain small pieces intersecting the sections and roads, etc., had better be set aside for ornamental planting. To the landscape gardener there are few, if any, cemeteries where things are not incongruous and where things do not seem to him to be very much out of place. I think that must arise from the individual taste of the lot owners, which compels the superintendent to follow their plan.

I think there are in most cemeteries too many trees. There are not enough flowering shrubs. There are not enough herbaceous plants. Mr. Falconer, a most excellent authority in our profession, wanted me to say something about having a cemetery attractive every day in the year. I think you should commence with early flowering plants. We all know visitors to cemeteries in the early spring are delighted with flowers. We find in our Washington parks that our spring flowers bring out more notice than later flowers in the summer or autumn. The early flowers are harbingers of spring.

I will tell you what we do in our public grounds. Our first planting for spring begins in October. We dig up our geraniums and many of those plants we want to propagate and plant those places with pansies. You can not all do that. We put out every year about thirty thousand pansies. We cover those beds with a slight coating of horse manure and leave that until they have done flowering in the spring. After our pansy planting we plant, our bulbs, hyacinths, tulips, narcissuses, crocuses, etc. We plant about thirty thousand of those. After that we take up our cannas, which make a very nice effect and we plant evergreens in some of the most important places. If it can be done, it would be well to plant evergreens just as we plant flowers--have dwarf varieties if you can. If not, plant our native evergreens, planting them flat in little groups, so as to remove the bareness of our parks and the same in cemeteries.

Now, my idea in planting parks or cemeteries would be to plant boundaries. Not plant a row of trees--I do not believe in that. I do not believe we ought to have fences. You will observe that we have removed the fences from our parks. We think it a good plan. We find no necessity for them, and it improves the appearance of the grounds very much. Plant around the boundaries groups of trees which would be suitable and which would grow well and which would produce satisfactory effects. I would not plant foreign trees largely--would plant native trees. Throughout the cemetery at the intersections have little plots of ground reserved where you can have flowering shrubs and plants. Then if I could have my way, I would have a parkway on each side of the roadways. I would not sell within perhaps fifteen feet. I would have a parking which would belong to the cemetery and which could be used for decoration with herbaceous plants and flowering shrubs, which would make it attractive.

Now, of course, I know that there is not an abundance of money in all cases to perform the finest landscape work and to carry out the landscape effects that are perhaps most beautiful, but there are certain things that are very essential. The most attractive thing in parks and cemeteries are roads and lawns. The roads should be hard surfaces that would be pleasant to walk on. I believe macadam roads are the best. Gravel roads are good, but they want constant attention. The lawns should be kept up.

In some cemeteries you have rules or regulations that are peculiar. That is, you care for certain special parts of the grounds. There are such things as special care. I think you ought to charge enough for your lots to enable you to keep your roads and lots always in perfect condition. If your roads and lots are in perfect condition, it will add very much to the beauty of the cemetery.

I really cannot say very much to you. I do not know just what to talk about. We have here in Washington many advantages. I came here half a century ago, lacking one year. When I came here I was perhaps one of the most disgusted men you could meet. It was a very unsightly, straggling village at that time. It was called in those days a city of magnificent distances. There was then La Fayette Park, the Capitol Grounds and Franklin Park, I believe that was about all. The major portion of the parks you see now were simply dumping grounds. They have all been created since that time. We have one thing here which is greatly in our favor. We have a very desirable climate. We can grow many things here that many of you gentlemen cannot grow. We are on the border line between the North and the South. We are rich in oaks and maples and many flowering trees and flowering shrubs. There is .another thing that we are not rich in, but I hope to be some time and that is the berry-bearing shrubs. They add very much to the decoration of the grounds in the winter months. What I would advise is very much fewer trees and very many more shrubs. That is what impresses me in cemeteries.
 
In regard to the parks, if you are so kind as to compliment them, I want to say I do not think they are at all what we hope to have them. We expect to have much higher improvement in many ways in the future. We are constantly improving and laying out grounds. We are taking in now about 150 acres of land reclaimed from the river front and we have now over 400 acres of reservation. One difficulty is they are so widely scattered. I cannot start out in the morning with my horse and buggy and visit each reservation. But it is a good thing. They are good and they are a good plan and I hope other cities will adopt this plan of leaving little spaces in the city. They are restful and in sanitary ways they are a very great advantage indeed.
 
From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 19th Annual Convention
Held at Washington, DC
September 19, 20, 21 and 22, 1905

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen: Once again I come before this august body as a pinch-hitter, and knowing that pinch-hitters usually have the habit of striking out, I hope too much will not be expected of me in trying to cover the subject, "Organizing the New Cemetery."

Mr. William Nelson, my associate in Whitemarsh Memorial Park requests me to extend his deepest regrets and apologies for being unable to attend our meeting here this morning, and to deliver his own address. Business and other circumstances made it impossible for him to be present. He wants me to say, however, that he is going to try to run over to attend a few of the sessions, to say "hello" and to renew some of his former acquaintances.

On my own behalf, I am gratified to see such a large attendance and look forward to an ever-increasing association, built on the right ideals, with a broad-mindedness to find a place for all the different groups associating in our business, whether it be monument or non-monument. I personally believe that if each and every man's honest opinion is considered sincerely and respected by the other fellow, we will go far. Should just the opposite occur, I am fearful for it.

Let us pause on this point for just a moment. As you are all aware, this Association was built up out of the meeting we held in Chicago about four years ago, at which time several memorial park owners got together for the purpose of binding ourselves in an association for our mutual protection. Later on the name of the association was changed to the "American Cemetery Owners Association" with the idea in mind of taking into this group, the owners of cemeteries other than memorial parks, until today we have quite a large percentage representing this type of the business.

We believe there is room for all groups and all opinions in this business, providing one or the other group is not dominated or discredited in the eyes of the opposing group. We invited owners of cemeteries other than memorial parks into our group. We gave unsparingly and unselfishly of our knowledge and experiences under the banner that there was room for all and that we should do everything possible for everybody else. Let us not take away that banner standing for this mutual understanding. I do not mean, however, that we should countenance or approve unethical selling methods. I have said before and I now reiterate--crooked promoters and crooked salesmen have no place and are not wanted in this Association. Let us maintain and keep alive that splendid spirit that has carried us this far and let there be no pause in the good fellowship and the sincere desire to help the other fellow. May I say this for the Association: This is our aim; this is our ideal.

Oh yes, I almost forgot, I was pinch-hitting on a talk regarding the "Organizing of a New Cemetery," and not the aims and ideals of an association. Those of you, who know me well, will realize that I am a drifter, drifting from one subject to another; they say this is a form of insanity. But I am not going to worry about that at this time-I'll let you worry about it. Then too, you will also know that on a dry subject such as the one I am supposed to talk about, I am certainly stepping out of character. You know, I don't know where Roy Hatten gets all the subjects that he hands out to the different speakers, I suppose he pulls them out of a hat.

There is not really much you can say about the organizing of a new cemetery. It can be briefly put in a few words and paragraphs, and on the surface this would appear to be all the requirements, but as many of you have sadly found out, there is a great deal more to it than appears. Before you get actively engaged in the business of a cemetery, it appears simple. After you are in it awhile, you will find out that you are in one of the most difficult businesses in the world today. This is what I would call an "opposite" business. You do everything opposite to what you would first think the proper procedure.

The first requisite upon entering the cemetery business is to get "bitten by the itching bug." By that I mean the "Cemetery Bug.” These bugs usually bite you on the palm of the hand and you develop an itching palm. That is your take-off into the realm of cemeteries.

In the original organization, of course, there are several steps to be taken. First, a suitable plot of ground should be secured, preferably without streams, for in many states the health laws prohibit the establishing of a cemetery, through which runs any streams that are tributary to streams from which drinking water is secured. In the highly populated areas this applies to practically all streams. This piece of ground should also be as free of rock as possible, and suitable for burial purposes. In choosing your property, I believe two of the most important features to be taken into consideration are: First, that it be not very distant from the center of the residential population. In larger cities, I would say this should be approximately 10 to 15 miles. In smaller cities or towns, this distance should be considerably less, and most important of all, there should be transportation, and from an advertising standpoint, the property should be located along the main highway. This saves thousands and thousands of dollars in educating the public to go up some side road to find your cemetery.  The ground also should rise somewhat above the roadbed. I found that people do not like to look down upon a cemetery from a highway.

After the acquiring of the ground, it becomes necessary of course to get the cemetery charter, establish an office, the advertising and training of salesmen, proper literature for their sales kits. Some of the grounds should be cleared and at least a few acres at the front and preferably the entrance should be improved. This Improvement Program, to those selling from an investment angle, should not be carried too far back of the entrance. Quite an item in your sales talk is the visualization of future improvements. Your improvements can be planned by any architect and the actual construction can be carried on by yourself if you have the proper superintendent and other lieutenants such as a civil engineer, a landscape gardener, etc., which is the method we pursued in building Whitemarsh Memorial Park. Most of the work in building our park has been done by the company's own departments and their own labor. In doing it in this manner there is a tremendous amount of saving.

May I say here, that one of the last major improvements in Whitemarsh Memorial Park is now being built, and that is the Tower of Chimes.  It will be 172 ft. high, built of steel, granite and limestone. The general contractor on this particular job is the company itself. We believe in doing it this way. On the tower unit alone we will save in the neighborhood of $25,000.00. So you see that doing your own work, if you want to take the trouble to supervise this phase of the business, saves the company considerable money. All you have to do after that, is to sell lots, put the improvements in, keep faith with your customers, and live up to your promises, and behold, you have a beautiful memorial park no matter what part of the country you are situated in.

It seems the only thing I can think of after all this is to recommend to you one of the 100 page sales booklets which has been compiled by my other associate, Mr. Lawrence C. Downey, of Whitemarsh Memorial Park, and which explains in detail how to sell and train men for every phase of this particular business. There have been so many repeated requests for a copy of Larry's book that I understand he is contemplating printing some extra copies and selling them to fill these requests.

All this sounds simple, doesn't it? Well, that is how the building of memorial parks sounds to almost, everyone you sell a lot to.  Their first expression is, “What a swell and profitable business. Gee, I would like to start a cemetery." I remember back in about 1925, when I was a real estate broker on the New Jersey coast. You will well remember that we had quite a boom for a few years, which continued until about 1927. One day I happened to be sitting with another broker. It was he who really put the cemetery bug in my ear. I can hear him saying now, "George, after we have sold off all the coast line of the state of New Jersey, I think the cemetery business would be a good one to go into. You get 100 or more lots to the acre and you don't depend on booms to bring you customers."

That remark started me thinking, and from 1925 until 1930 I was investigating cemeteries at every opportunity, securing all the data and information available. The more I investigated, the more I thought that this was the real thing; that creating a cemetery was nothing but just an easy job. I was never more mistaken in my life. About the latter part of 1929, after the stock market crash, I was joined by my two associates, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Downey, and we did all the things that I mentioned before, and after all the exhaustive searches that I had made, and after we had had our eye teeth cut, and the new organization of the cemetery already set up, then we really began to find out the real way to run a cemetery-after it was organized.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the organization of a new cemetery goes way back to your school days. For a man or woman to be successful in this field must, out of necessity, have certain training along certain lines and certain qualifications which are obtained only through hard years of experience in visualizing the future, feeling the pulse of the public, experience in selling from a development standpoint, and a lot of other qualifications too numerous to mention.

You have gone through the country and you have observed memorial parks started, and a good many of them, alas, too many of them, are at a standstill. You have also run across men in this business that have the ability to build cemeteries, who have started perhaps more than one, and instead of keeping faith with the customer, and really building the cemetery, they put in the least improvements possible. You also have heard one of the real pioneers and a man of ability in this field; say the cycle of success in any particular business was to have a definite, safe profitable plan, with capable and honest management. If you have all these particular qualifications in your business, you will be successful and you will also realize what I mean when I say the organizing of a cemetery starts back in your school days. I would lay more stress on the latter of these requirements, and that is honest and capable management."

Honesty, of course, comes first, and capability second in the organizing of a new cemetery, for this business can only be a real success in capable hands. That might apply also in other businesses, but it seems that you can hire capable employees to handle your affairs in other businesses, but where on earth are you going to hire that which this business needs most; a capable sales manager who has had years of experience along certain necessary lines in this land of ours.  I know this is next to impossible, for I have heard many, many cemetery owners asking this same question.

A banker friend of mine once said to a man in his office, who was getting bitten pretty severely by the cemetery bug, and the great idea of a memorial park. His remarks to this man summed up, I believe, most emphatically the requirements in organizing a new cemetery.  “It is true that the memorial park idea is wonderful and everything you think it is.  That, Mr. Blank, is 5%.  The other 95% in accomplishing this great idea is sales ability in that particular field."

This banker’s words, Ladies and Gentlemen, express more than the things that I have been saying to you here this morning about what it takes to organize a new cemetery.  I believe that to be really successful in this business, active constant application in governing the affairs of a cemetery company should be confined to a few people who can closely watch through personal management every detail of this business.  I believe that your improvements should be strictly in accord with your brochure and never make a promise to the public or to the salesmen that you cannot and will not keep. Double all the promises to the salesmen and triple all the promises to the public and have the money in your hand before you let a contract for improvements.

A man’s personality is reflected in many ways: his handwriting, his personal appearance, the way he walks, how he accomplishes his work - are all a personal reflection of the character of the man.  So too, is the way you run your business and the way you build your cemetery, a personal reflection of your character. Those of you who have come here lacking some of the fundamental knowledge, experience and ability to carry your park any further than probably the initial start, where it may be getting stagnated, may I respectfully suggest this to them: First, try to get the proper sales manager. This I know is almost impossible, but failing in that, I would suggest that you sit down and talk with those of us here belonging to the Association, who know sales in this particular field. You will find quite a few of them here among you, and you will also find that they are ever ready to give you any ideas that they may possess to help you further along the road to success.

In closing, may I invite you to visit Whitemarsh Memorial Park.  It is less than two hours by automobile or train, and for most of you who are going west, your ticket will provide stop-over privileges in Philadelphia. You will see what we believe to be an execution of the principles that I have mentioned, and you will also see that we have strived to build a very beautiful memorial park. One that we hope is a credit to us and to the Association. It is needless to say, that you will be welcome. I sincerely trust you will pay us a visit.

From the publication:
“ACOA 1938 Cemetery Handbook and Buyers’ Guide"
8th Annual Meeting and Convention held at
Hotel New Yorker, NY

Various kinds of work performed in the large cemeteries of today have come about by a sort of an evolutionary process.

There was a time when the first church graveyard or the township plots with its ten by ten lots were probably aligned by the eye or chord line, and the sexton or near by neighbor could tell from memory all buried therein.

Today it is somewhat different. The lots are designed to fit the contour of the ground and the landscape effects should be most pleasing to the eye. After all it is the living we must please, and a visitor may be so attracted to a certain spot that often times leads up to the sale of the lot in advance of the need.

As I am assuming that all of us here are connected with cemeteries already established, and instead of dealing with an entire new proposition I shall devote my time more to the designing of a new section or that phase of the work.

Cemeteries of any importance should have in their possession a topographical map showing the contours, and the proposed roads, water mains, sewers, etc.

Before constructing a new section it is advisable to first build the road way around it, or at least bring the road to such a point that will be accessible to the section.

There should, be a great deal of consideration given to the roadways as they are a very important factor in the cemetery, the grades and curves should be well worked out. Catch basins should be set at certain intervals depending upon the width, grade, and slope if any on the section. Very steep grades are unbecoming as well as dangerous, and I would say that grades above seven per cent should be avoided and if at all possible hold down to five percent. All drives or roads on a curve in a cemetery boulevard, or elsewhere should be built with a super-elevation, i. e; the outside of the curve should be higher than the inside. This not only makes driving safer but saves the roads as well and will not mar the landscape when properly constructed.

I would like to digress here a moment and call your attention to some of our roads at Lake View Cemetery. We have between six and seven miles of macadam roads; as they were built a great many years ago the surface has been worn off in a great many places. During the past month or two we have tried out a few new schemes—on one stretch of about 1500 feet in length we have resurfaced with a material called Kentucky Rock, or some call it Kirock for short.  On another stretch of about the same length we have resurfaced this with a material known as Amacite.

On your trip tomorrow afternoon these two roads are near the Garfield Memorial, and we will be very glad to go into details of the laying of this material and any information that you care to have along that line.

If we are to have good landscape sections then there must be good roads to produce a harmonious effect which would be pleasing to the eye as one rides along the curved drives leading to or by lakes, ravines, or things of interest.

In designing sections, a great deal of thought should be given to this part of the work—long before a section is needed it should go through the mental stage of construction, even in this stage it may often be torn down and rebuilt. It would be advisable to visit the proposed plat of ground occasionally, and each time approach it from a different angle. Sometimes it may be well to do some free hand sketching. In doing this one will unconsciously acquire a mental photo of the future section.

After this is well established in one's mind, all trees or anything else that might hinder in the plan of burials should be accurately located. This will aid greatly in the designing of lots and should be platted accordingly. Nature has provided our land well with trees. In this part or the country our cemeteries contain many such specimens as the Oak, Maple, .Elm, etc., occasionally in undeveloped parts there maybe a large space that has no trees. In places such as this and others, a  few of the ornamental type might be considered, such as the Ginkgo, Pin Oak, Taxodium, Oriental Plane, or something on the order of the Purple or Copper Beech for color effect. There are many places where these types would be fitting and would not only be in contrast to the general shade type of tree, but would give an artistic effect to the section as well.

Before allotting a section a study should be made of its location as to its surroundings, etc. If one of the remote sections laying somewhere along the border tine it may be better suited for single grave allotments or a part of it for two or three grave lots. If on the other hand it should be the select part of the cemetery which would bring the highest price, an entirely different scheme should be worked out.

It would not be advisable to adhere to hard set rules in platting a section as one plan may require an entirely different scheme from another based on its location, and the contour of the ground. Each one must be a study of itself. In all events there should be a three root reserve strip on the border of the section. In this strip the water mains can be laid, and is a much better place than in the roadways, In case of a leak a repair can be made and the road will not have to be dug up or traffic interfered with. There may be occasions to lay telephone or electric cables an which this strip again becomes useful.

In the average section the first tier of lots back of the reserve strip may be ten or twelve feet in depth then followed by nine foot tiers with a three foot walk. 

It should be kept in mind that in platting the lots to provide for walks in which water lines can be run in which any lot can be reached with a hose on a fifty foot radius, and if it can be so arranged there should be only one drip for the entire section at the lowest .point. There should be a three inch drain in the same trench with the water pipe to take care of the waste water from the hose connections and goose necks where lot owners may have access to the water.

Monument lots should vary in size as well as the small lots which do not permit monuments. These lots should be kept back from driveways as much as possible to be in keeping with the park plan scheme. It gives the monuments more of an individual setting where planting can be used for a background which not only adds to the beauty of the monument but enhances the general landscape as well. Some have gone so far in cemetery designing to suggest that all stone work be eliminated to make it a beautiful park. I think this is overstepping the line somewhat, and is contrary to a deep rooted sentiment of a long time custom to mark the last resting place of those who have gone before. There will be parks, and there will be cemeteries, but let there still be a distinction between the two.

The distance from the road to the farthest lot in which pall bearers would be expected to carry should be given consideration. Probably 150 feet would be a maximum distance. Often times in a very large section it is advisable to run an eight foot service drive through the center in which funerals would have better access to the lot. This would also give better service to the gardener and grave digger in the handling of materials to and from the main drive.

A word or two about drainage may not be out of place. No one wants to bury their loved ones in a wet grave. A section or part or a section that would be inclined to be wet should be drained. This should be done during the course of construction after the rough grading has been done. When the allotting plan has been decided upon, the drains should be so arranged that they will pass through the lots where needed. It is also well to use plenty of cinders to insure better drainage.

The modern cemetery or course must have cornerstones with numbers upon them indicating upon the ground the boundary or lots. This is not only essential, but a great help to the salesman, lot owner, or employees in locating the lot. All corner stones should be furnished by the cemetery, and placed in the ground before the section is opened for sale.

The section or sales map should have all the data noted thereon as to the prices and sizes or all lots, as well as restrictions or whatever nature regarding the section. All details regarding the condition of sale, rules, etc., should be thoroughly explained to the new-coming lot owner, so that there may be no misunderstandings or hard feelings later on.

The selling of burial lots is nothing new; we might go back to Gen. 23: 15-20, where it tells us that "Abraham buried Sarah his wife who was 127 years old, and paid Ephram 400 shekels of silver for the cave in which to bury Sarah." Here we have the first purchase of land and a record of burial. It is very essential to keep an accurate record not only of the burials but all permanent fixtures that go into the ground, as well as on top, because sooner or later information may be wanted by the lot owner regarding past burials. Future improvements maybe made from time to time in which connections must be made to water mains, sewers, etc., which have been recorded in the past. A card index system giving the lot owner's name as well as those that have, been buried on the various lots is a very essential record to keep. From this it is quite convenient to answer the many quarters from the lot owners as to the location of their relatives and friends and often times their own lots. The various cemeteries seem to have their own system of keeping record of location of burials, headstones, etc. Some use the lot diagram book, and some the card system. A few of the larger cemeteries however, record this information as well as other, upon large sheets drawn to a scale. These sheets represent a plat of ground 150 ft. x 200 ft. Lots when platted upon these sheets not only show the adjoining lots but show all those near by, and have been found very useful in an explanatory sense, especially when arranging for burial with a lot owner who is not very familiar with his lot. As stated before, all permanent fixtures are recorded on these sheets, and with the proper index it is very convenient to locate anything, and the whole territory in question can be seen at a. glance. At the intersection of the base lines which represent this block, a permanent monument can be placed upon which is a number, corresponding to the number of the block. A map or record of elevation upon the various monuments will be found quite useful from time to time, especially when working up new territory.

There have been several schemes suggested and tried along the lines of advertising cemetery lots. Newspaper ads etc., may be all right to introduce a new proposition, but an established cemetery upon a running basis can do no better than interest people by its attractive landscape and good service, worked out from a well studied plan.

In many of the cemeteries a lot holder is considered a member of the association or corporation. In this way they take a greater interest in more ways than one, and will undoubtedly be a booster in their community to get their friends to join with them in the self same interest.

Gladstone, England's great statesman; who measured people by their cemeteries once said, "Show me the manner in which a nation or community cares for its dead, and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender sympathies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals."

In conclusion it might be said that "cemetery engineering” after all, involves more than the use of transit and chain, as they only play a small part, yet are very useful when the proper time comes for their use in development work, whether it be new sections, roadways, buildings of various kinds, etc. These problems as well as many others require a great deal of methodical deliberation in studying out the various suggestions that come up. It has been said that work well planned is 51% complete, therefore it is absolutely essential that plans be prepared, and be given very careful consideration that later on when fully executed, they will show forth the idea finished in reality, which will be admired by those of like minds, as well as those of the community, and visitors as well, and will prove that time and money have been well spent.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 41st Annual Convention
Cleveland, OH
August 22, 23, 24 and 25, 1927

I wish to review for a moment a bit of the history of this great institution called a cemetery. Cemeteries are old. The beginning of civilization saw cemeteries. We see individuals and we wonder what is behind them. We wonder what may be their background. We see institutions and we also wonder what is behind them. We wonder what may be their background. As Bryan once said, he was interested to know the background of the human race, but he was more interested in knowing what might be its future. The ancestors might have been monkeys; but he wanted to know whether or not the people who came afterward were going to continue to be monkeys.

The definition of the word "'cemetery" is what? A cemetery is defined as a "sleeping chamber or burial chamber". Its derivation is from a Greek word. They had during the earlier years in Frankfort and in Munich a building at the entrance to each cemetery. In the middle of this building there was one room in which a warden remained on watch. On either side of that room there were four or five "sleeping chambers". As the dead were brought to the cemetery each body was placed in one of these rooms. On one finger of each corpse a small ring was placed and from that ring a string was connected with a bell located in the chamber where the warden sat. For a period of time until that body began to decompose the warden or his assistant sat there listening for the tinkle of that bell in order that there should be no premature interment. This is one phase of the beginning of a cemetery.

Much progress has been made in cemetery development since that period. The Turks had the most interesting type of early cemetery development. They were the first people to inaugurate so called landscape composition into cemetery design. They made it a practice, as has been heretofore pointed out in some of your sessions, to plant a cypress tree beside each grave at the time of each burial.

What was the reason for the development of the churchyard as a cemetery? The churchyard developed because of a desire to provide a place immediately associated with the building of worship where they could hold prayer in connection with their cemetery for those who had departed and whose remains could be kept dose to the place of worship. We know what has happened with the churchyard. We know the reasons why burials have been removed from the catacombs, from the basements of churches, and from the churchyards to the rural cemeteries. We know that more than a century ago Mt. Auburn was one of the first rural cemeteries in this country. We know further that not until the middle of the nineteenth century did the English government pass a law making it compulsory to establish rural cemeteries.

That is a somewhat abridged history of cemetery development. I have often said during my study of cemeteries that we have three kinds of cemeteries today. We have the abandoned cemetery. We have the neglected cemetery and we have the cemetery that is perfectly maintained. 

To which of these kinds of cemeteries are you going to confine your interest? I would much rather see an abandoned cemetery where nature has taken possession, as you sometimes see in the country districts, than to see a neglected cemetery. There is landscape composition in nature's own way in an abandoned cemetery, and an atmosphere which it is very difficult for any modern mind in the act of creating artificial cemetery design to duplicate. If a cemetery is degenerating into the neglected type, then I should much prefer that it be abandoned and nature be given an opportunity to take possession in its own way. 

What is a modern cemetery? It should not be as some believe, a mere "city of the dead". A modern cemetery, in my opinion, has for its primary purpose the establishment of a place of quiet and of worship; a place into which one may go, surrounded by a proper atmosphere to remember the dead. A cemetery should be a tangible and material evidence showing to the community at large and to the world in general, the respect which we have for those who have gone before. The very air we breathe and the pictures of nature there surrounding us should inspire a solemn tribute to the dead.

There are two schools of cemetery design. One school holds that a cemetery may be a field of monuments. The other school holds that the cemetery ought to be practically free from monuments and therefore virtually a park. Neither school in its extreme view will appeal to the majority of us as being correct. I think there are very few of us in this gathering who hold a view very strongly in either of these extreme directions.

A cemetery of the modern type should provide seclusion. That subject has been discussed before you. A cemetery should provide a dignified atmosphere, quite the contrary of the modern idea of living. It should be a very definite expression of a sincerity of religions purpose without being overloaded from that viewpoint. It should be a spot of hallowed ground that is valuable equally for the dead as it is for the living. It should above all, as a material asset in it community, be one of the choke beauty spots of any community with which the cemetery is associated. It should be a place in which you feel that your first desire is to lapse into that so called coma of introspection and retrospection that appeal so strongly in any well designed church.

I have been in cathedrals and I have walked out of the door only to turn around and go back. Why!—because in those cathedrals there was a something in the whole composition which without music or words or any contact with any person had become a part of me. I turned and walked back because I could not feel that I was doing justice to the church or to myself to go away without again endeavoring to absorb more of that atmosphere.

To a certain extent I have tried to describe the feeling that we ought to have when visiting a properly designed cemetery filled with the right kind of landscape composition. A cemetery must be in its last analysis a piece of design. A church is a piece of design. The railroad station is a piece of design. The Public Auditorium is a piece of design. There should, however, be that something in every one of these material things which causes you upon entering it to feel intuitively the purpose for which it exists. You may either have an impulsive desire to pass directly through and to condemn somebody because they did not make the widest and straightest path through it, or you may want to stop, meander around and absorb the atmosphere created by its design. You immediately feel that there is a something in that design that becomes a part of you and to which you must give expression before going away from it. Such an atmosphere and such a reaction must be created by good landscape composition in cemetery design.
I know of no better way to accomplish that purpose than through the agencies of architecture and landscape architecture. I know of no one factor in cemetery design which can do more to create this atmosphere than good landscape composition.

You ask me to define landscape composition. It is a rather intangible thing. You might as well ask what is musical composition. The gentleman who just sang knows musical composition and it radiates from every fiber of his body. He has associated himself with a musical atmosphere. He has studied so far as he could those material things that help him to get a musical point of view and to get in a position where his entire being reacts true to things musical. He has lived in that atmosphere. He has steeped his soul in it with the result that you and I derive great pleasure from music as he now produces it. Landscape composition is similar. It is an art. Anyone who is identified with a cemetery may endeavor to put into that cemetery those things which represent landscape composition and which radiate a worth while message to everybody that comes into that cemetery. The person who assumes that responsibility cannot simply say "I know landscape composition and I am going to produce it as a part of my cemetery design." He must first qualify by asking himself—"what is this intangible thing called landscape composition?" I want to study it. I want to absorb it. I want to be able to create that atmosphere of design resulting from good landscape composition, because it is the thing that I feel so strongly. I want to be certain that after I have done my work someone else is going to feel as I feel. Without these qualifications I should advise no man to try to put into a cemetery the atmosphere of cemetery design, any more than I should expect the layman contractor could put into a church design those elements of architectural composition which convey that message of real church architecture.

There are two phases to landscape composition in cemetery design. One of them is in the plan as laid out on paper. The other is in the thing that we put into that cemetery that gives it those other dimensions.

We have been in cemeteries where the plan appeals strongly to us. We immediately feel that the whole plan is coordinated. We have been in other cemeteries where we feel that someone has taken "a waffle iron" or something akin to it, laid it down on a piece of ground and cut out the streets accordingly and then dropped some monuments around, together with a few trees for good measure. This is one type of design.

We have been in other cemeteries where because or the well designed monuments, proper settings for these monuments, trees of a desired type property located, attractive buildings well located, we feel that the picture is complete and that it is truly a place in which to think of our departed loved ones and friends. We have found no false note anywhere. That kind or a cemetery does not simply grow without man's intelligent assistance. The man who produces such a composition must have trained himself and he must have lived in an atmosphere of that kind of education in landscape composition. Otherwise, he is helpless to create that real type of cemetery. Many mistakes of doctors and others are buried in a cemetery, soon to be forgotten. The mistakes made in landscape composition refuse to be buried. Each time that we make a mistake in landscape composition that mistake continues as the years go by to magnify and to grow until some day it comes out and stares us in the face and we in turn wish we might be buried. It is a great responsibility to assume when one attempts to put landscape composition into cemetery design.

When I endeavor to define landscape composition I am often reminded of the definition of the word "power" as applied to mental activity. "Power is the width or the margin between the exactions of a task that a man is performing and his character reserve." The captain of a great ship may stand on the bridge when the sun is shining and the ocean is smooth. You may think that he has the easiest job in the world. He has a fine uniform, he only walks up and down on the bridge and he has the one "spotlight" table in the dining room and nothing else to worry him. Some night when you go out on the deck with a hurricane blowing, the ship rolling around and you cannot see ahead in fog and you know that there are thousands of lives on that vessel being carried safely to their destination, you then begin to realize the power of that man. It is character reserve that is called into being to enable film under such conditions to perform the great tasks in this emergency.

Landscape composition in cemetery design may be defined as the width of the margin between that kind of a cemetery which will provide a specified number of lots per acre, which will allow one to get from one lot to another over adequate roads and paths, and which will provide for future expansion and the kind of a cemetery which, when you go into it, brings into your being a something which, you cannot analyze and which you cannot define. You only feel that you and God and those gone before you are in close communion. That gentlemen, is landscape composition in cemetery design.

The elements which make for successful landscape composition in a cemetery have been discussed at various meetings. I shall enumerate a few of them. They are as follows: the natural site, one's ability to solve the artificial grading problems in a perfectly natural and efficient way, the proper location and width of roads and walks which first of all must serve as arteries of traffic to give access from one point to another and to serve as important elements of design, the location and type of buildings, the kinds of monuments and headstones and their location, the development of adequate and attractive lawn areas, and the selection and proper placing of plant materials. These are elements which stand out as a part of the design and which may affect the composition or the pictorial, aspects of a cemetery design.

You have had through the papers of Mr. Tupper, Mr. Hare, Mr. Grubb, Mr. Simonds and others some most excellent discussions upon the use to be made of these different elements in order to create a landscape picture. I have no desire to impose upon your time to review these discussions. Their completeness is such that I could hope to do little else.

There are two schools, as I have said, with reference to cemetery design. It is dangerous for one to hold any strong arguments for either extreme. I am reminded of two things in connection with these extreme schools. One is that a conclusion not reached through a process of reasoning can never be changed by a process of reasoning. If a woman likes a black hat, please do not try to tell her that she ought to wear a red hat. The other is the pull-man porter who came to the conductor and said he had two irritable passengers. One passenger insisted that the window be open because he was suffocating with heat. The other passenger insisted that the window be closed because he was freezing. The conductor said to the porter, "You may go back and shut the window until you suffocate one and then open the window until you freeze the other and then proceed in your usual manner."
We must therefore recognize and respect the middle ground of design. Landscape composition properly brought into a cemetery design should endeavor to do those things upon which I have laid stress. It should create a series of interesting pictures. Those pictures should have some dignity. They should have character and above all they should have a great degree of permanence. They should have in them those notes which are not false (such as horticultural varieties with variegated foliage seldom seen in any planting of nature). Those pictures should be in an orderly sort of arrangement. They should create a variety of interest. We should study our cemetery if it be an old cemetery which we are endeavoring to improve, with these thoughts in mind. One of our most difficult and most interesting problems is the renovation and improvement of old cemeteries.

If you go to Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland you will find two of the best examples that I have yet seen in cemetery design. The first example is that of excluding from the cemetery picture those disturbing elements coming from bordering areas of commercial and residential development. The second example is that of a set of pictures interesting and varied in character created by the proper use of plantings of various types in most interesting groups to make the background for different types of monuments.

After all the man who really makes the cemetery, in the last analysis, is the man who lives with that problem day after day and who tries to take either the ideas that he has brought into it as a result of his experience and observation, or the ideas of some professional adviser brought in and left with him, to expand upon and to carry into execution in an effort to produce worth while landscape composition.

We often find in an old cemetery little opportunity to make great improvements. There is small space allowed for planting. Roads and walks are in rectangular lines. Monuments are of average design and too close to each other. Such cemeteries may often be taken, especially those in the rural districts, and with adequate expenditure of money and time, made into most interesting examples of cemetery restoration for the inspiration of the entire countryside. The addition of a well designed entrance, the development of interesting walls and fences, the proper location of planting in spots where planting may be placed, the creation of a frame of foliage for the cemetery, perhaps through the acquisition of a bordering strip of property, the carrying of a theme of foliage or flower effect throughout the cemetery at different periods in the year may work wonders in the improvement of such an area. These elements properly used may tie the entire cemetery into one harmonious unit which causes you to forget entirely an unsightly monument here, or a piece of poor grading there.

I think in a great cemetery such as Lake View or Mt. Auburn or a dozen others, each extending over a large area of property, there is only one thing to do and that is to establish masses of plantings that create a proper and interesting background for monumental work. Such an arrangement, especially of the planting, removes the competitive elements of design so detrimental to one another when one monument is seen with another monument as its background. How many of you live in the fully developed suburbs and have ever looked back at, your own home to determine the landscape composition of its setting, and how often have you realized that a single tree here or a group of planting there to shut out a neighboring house may produce an entirely different looking and more attractive picture of your own home? The same principle applies in the planting with relation to monuments.

The layout of roads in cemeteries is most important. The designer must always keep in mind that he is dealing with cemetery roads and not roads in a subdivision or in a park. Roads in a cemetery should have a texture of surface that presents at all times that quiet rustic simplicity of atmosphere that should pervade the entire area. The cemetery road should lead you aimlessly through the cemetery and this principle should apply to road design except, for one or two of the more important roads which may be used in passing through a cemetery.

A word with reference to the layout of lots in cemetery planning.  I have seen cemetery plans of an important character undertaken by men who assumed to know cemetery design and who in reality had no qualifications to entitle them to render professional service in this field. Their work has imposed upon the community in many instances cemeteries without landscape composition. Apparently their sole purpose has been to get into that cemetery plan a maximum number of lots with little regard to future problems of planting. In my opinion, there is no field of design which is more specialized than cemetery design. If any landscape architect is accepting the obligation to lay out a cemetery and to get into the cemetery design a proper landscape composition, he should have by his side at the very beginning the most competent cemetery expert who has proved by his experience and the work that he has done that he knows those phases of cemetery design which must be recognized for the efficient operations of a cemetery. The design must be a happy solution of the problems of efficiency and operation and maintenance and of real landscape composition.

It is one problem to develop landscape compositions. It is another and an equally important problem to preserve those compositions. There is only one way to properly preserve a landscape composition and that is through continual and perpetual care. There is nothing that changes so rapidly. There is nothing that is so temporary. There is nothing to which so much damage can be done through ignorance or neglect in so short a time as landscape composition.

As cemetery superintendents and executives you have a great mission in life. There is no mission more important. It is not the most profitable from a financial standpoint. Your greatest satisfaction comes from the opportunity to render a worth-while service. You have an obligation to create and to properly preserve these landscape compositions in cemetery design and to make them real assets to the community. It is not the easiest thing to accomplish. The maintenance of one shrub, the maintenance of a group of shrubs, the maintenance of a lawn, roadway, or trees may be an easy thing in and of itself so far as keeping that tree or shrub growing properly, that lawn green, or that road passable. It is quite a different and more difficult thing to perform these maintenance operations so that all of these features heretofore mentioned may assume their proper and permanent relationship in the atmosphere of a proper and desirable landscape composition. Only those men successful in accomplishing these results can tell the great satisfaction or the difficulties.

A cemetery should be so preserved that it continues to express that sentiment and type of design which is symbolic of a cemetery. I do not know of any field of activity which is more worth while or one which requires more study than the proper development and maintenance of cemeteries. I do not know of any field of work where a man may do more good or make a greater impression on humanity in general. After all the greatest permanent satisfaction which we procure from our work is the opportunity to render a real service in a worth while way. A man may continue to be a teacher in one department or he may seek the presidency of a great university. In the first instance, he may do his teaching and have available time within which to accomplish certain ideals and results of a most permanent character, or he may be a president of an institution overburdened with executive and administrative functions to the extent that he can do little of none of the permanent work which will enable his children and their children to find a path "to the place where once he lived." Money is not always the greatest return. It is soon forgotten and dissipated. Work such as you are performing adds something of permanent value to life and it helps to define the "roadway" that permanently marks your efforts and your contributions to humanity.

For my part, I should prefer to be the man who is able and has the opportunity to perform these permanent things which leave tangible and lasting evidence of my work behind me as a monument to me and a monument to my ability, vision and energies which after all far outweigh the temporary qualities of a few dollars.

Your work is such that you are able to leave through the elements of good landscape composition a most desirable impression upon the minds of so many people at a time in their lives when their minds are open and receptive to outside influences. You are developing that kind of composition which comes nearer than anything else to making an indelible impression upon the souls of those persons who as mourners have entered the cemetery and have conveyed their message. That person will find as his mind relaxes another point of view and a new inspiration in life through the elements or landscape composition properly injected into the cemetery design. He will suddenly realize that deep as his sorrow may be, someone has done something for him which conveys a message that is so comforting under such conditions.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 41st Annual Convention
Cleveland, OH
August 22, 23, 24 and 25, 1927

It would seem rather presumptuous on my part to have you expect me to present something new on this subject when the records of our Association reveal that the same has been repeatedly written about and ably interpreted.

However, in complying with the Committee's wish to prepare a paper on this subject the thought occurred to me that after all the purpose of a paper is not so much to bring before the meeting something new, but rather to provide material for a profitable discussion, so with this thought in mind I have prepared the following remarks:

It is only of later years that cemetery engineering and the co-relative landscape engineering have developed into a branch of civil engineering, dealing with special problems and it may be said that admirable results in the way of cemetery work are to be recorded, for it can be readily understood that cemetery engineering and landscape engineering must plan and work hand in hand in order to produce satisfactory results.

In as much as plans for building and improving a cemetery are positively required, any corporation engaging to do this should seek the advice of and consult with a qualified cemetery engineer before beginning operations. There are a series of plans necessary for the successful laying out and improving a cemetery of which the principal ones are Topographical Plan, the work plan and the Section and Lot Plan.

The first step in the way of plans is to secure an accurate topographical survey and map of the property, giving a description of the same, measurements of the boundaries together with angles, curves, if any; this pan will include the cross-sectioning of the property into squares, usually 100 feet to a side, with one set of lines running parallel and the other at right angles preferably to one of the property boundaries. For the identification of each intersection it is well to use the alphabet for one set of lines and numericals on those at right angles with the lettered lines, thus will each intersection be designated by a letter and a number. The accuracy of this work both on the plans and in the field is of vital importance, because all future plans are based on these lines and intersections; therefore care should be taken to preserve their locations by methods which will prevent losing them when improvements are going on. Cross sectioning as the base for all plans for cemetery improvements has been mentioned in various articles; it bears repetition particularly on account of the minimum chance for any errors in the development of improvements.

In order to secure the conformation of the surface elevations are taken at the cross section intersections and at as many points within each square deemed necessary to be able to plat like level contours. All outstanding natural features present on the premises, buildings, trees, either single or in groups, wooded .portions, slopes, ravines, rocks, water courses, springs, etc., are located with ease from cross section lines and their elevations noted.  There is this to be added in favor of the cross sectioning system that work can be begun and carried on in various parts of the grounds with the absolute assurance that, when the work of these parts are brought together there will be no misfit.

The first study of the road system is made on or with the aid of the topographical plan, when doubtful as to the correctness of any location or direction temporary stakes are set out and when satisfactory lines adjusted to the topography have been obtained measurements are recorded on the "Work Plan."

Preferably this plan is to be drawn in the same scale as the topographical plan, is to have the cross sectioning lines numbered and lettered as mentioned before and the drives located thus forming the system of sections. For setting out centers of drives various more or less intricate methods are employed; a practical and easy method is to do so by measured off sets from the cross section lines. At 20' or 25' equal distances along these lines off sets are drawn at right angles from them to the centre of the drives and the distances scaled as closely as possible; in the field it is comparatively an easy matter to locate these off sets with the subtended distances. If it should occur that stakes thus placed do not exactly meet the requirements of a good curve corrections should be made at once by moving the stakes that appear out of line for a harmonious curve into positions to satisfy the eye. If the scaling was done carefully very few corrections will most likely be required, but any and every deviation found from the given measurements should be recorded on the plan at once.

In as much as centre stakes of a drive are most apt to be lost or misplaced during the progress of grading it is good practice to set guide stakes on each side of the drive opposite the centre stakes about two feet beyond the required width of the drive.  Stakes set in this position are more likely to be preserved and also serve good purpose for marking them with necessary figures for cut or fill required for the grade at these points, thus acting as a guide for the operator in grading.

Established grades of the drives are recorded on this plan and new like level contours may also be drawn indicating the proposed changes in the surfaces of the sections, storm water drains are to be drawn, sizes of crock and grades of the same indicated together with the necessary catch basins and their connections.

Memoranda of underground drains, if such appear to be necessary will be recorded on this plan; so too it will show whatever system is adopted for the distribution of water to all portions of the grounds. Location of main entrance and auxiliary entrances, chapel, vault, office, residence, etc., are also to be shown, as well as any special features, which are to be provided either for temporary or permanent use.

The system of drives forming the sections is produced on the Section and Lot plan in precisely the same manner as mentioned for the previous plan, namely by measured off sets from the cross section lines. Preliminary studies are made for subdividing sections into lots, the principal lines of which should be tried out on the grounds and adjusted.  In this connection it is to be said that no matter how well and carefully the subdivision has been planned and worked out there is always a possibility of changes to be expected in the future to accommodate special demands of prospective purchasers; for that reason it is best to complete platting only such portions of the cemetery that are to be opened for sale, reserving the remainder to be arranged for future requirements.

While it is understood that the section and lot plan must be carefully drawn to scale the actual sizes of lots or groups, ornamental spaces, grass walks and borders will not be recorded upon the same. For that purpose plats in a larger scale should be prepared of one or more sections on one sheet. On these detailed plats again will appear the cross section lines for the purpose of outlining the section itself; all lots are platted from actual measurements taken on the grounds, both as to their sizes and as to their relation to the cross section lines, thus recording the position of a lot or a group in a definite manner.

The system of planning herewith briefly outlined reduces the work of engineering and platting to the simplest method and it is an absolutely reliable method when the work is carefully and accurately done.

It is a fact recognized by experienced cemetery men that the entire and complete planning of a cemetery should not be left in the hands of an artist alone; the latter should avail himself of the helpful assistance of the engineer to accomplish results which will be practical from a business standpoint and beautiful from an esthetic standpoint.

I have purposely refrained from mentioning planting plans or the work of draining, road building, etc., because there is plenty of that in our previous reports to guide anybody in that line.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 39th Annual Convention
Chicago, Illinois
August 24, 25, 26 and 27, 1925

The success of a new cemetery depends upon its location and the way it is designed.

Adopt rules and regulations, have them strictly observed and follow the modern plan, for it secures economy and attractiveness. Perpetual care should be provided for. One easily makes costly mistakes. The first step is to select grounds suitable for a cemetery, using precaution not to get ground with too much stone, or that which is low or too near the city. A thorough test should be made before deciding on any particular spot. The size of grounds should be according to population and surrounding places. It pays to purchase all the land you may need in years to come, as interested land holders know how to get a price for what could be bought for two-thirds less when first purchased.

Employ practical help, pay good wages and expect good results. Not many weeks ago I was requested to call and see a new cemetery whose owners had paid a snug amount to get it started. Upon looking around I discovered four men laying out lots in a field with stumps, stories, weeds and ruts (also enjoying good cigars). This work was started by a supposed first class engineer and to my surprise I found the drives as usual in the best part of the grounds. It is a common occurrence to see the mistakes of others and not our own. We do not care to conflict with the many so-called landscape engineers, few of them take advantage of natural beauty. Practical men should see at a glance what to do and how to go about it. Get a lawn or section in use at once, which will help curtail the expense. Beautifying the grounds, making lakes, waterfalls, etc., may be carried on when nothing urgent is on hand. Do not make your lawns small have them large, say from two to three acres in size. Where a smaller cemetery is needed, it will look better to have it in small sections, say one to one and a half acres to each section. Curves are always attractive; have them liberally displayed. When done take measure and stake opposite side for width of drive, which should be no less than eighteen feet, if you do make them smaller, the public will at once say it is a question of dollars, not beauty. When grading allow sufficient fall to carry the water to proper place. Be careful in grading. By all means get the ground smooth and shaped before sowing the grass seed. Grading is a permanent thing and nothing looks worse than a poorly graded place. In doing this use tools best suited for the soil. We at first work the scoop, which is drawn by two horses and carries eight cubic feet. When proper places are filled in we follow with a scraper eight feet long. This is a simple grading device, which does the work to perfection. It is simply an old-fashioned road scraper, governed by two men and one driver. With it we can accomplish more in one day than six men would in one week.

When finished harrow the sections thoroughly, pulverizing the soil to receive the seed. Lay your border with sod ten feet wide. Select some calm hour for sowing, after which apply the best bone fertilizer to be had. By all means abolish manure if you wish to have a nice clean lawn. Manure is a good fertilizer if plowed under, but great care should be taken not to use it for top dressing. Use nothing but Kentucky blue grass, as it gives the prettiest effect. When seeded, harrow again after which roll it with a light land, roller, and in a few weeks when the grass has appeared roll it again. When finished stake out lots to suit location and purchaser. Encourage the purchase of large lots, as they are the secret of a pretty cemetery. By all means do so, on your best sites. If your demand is greater for small lots select some spot where they will not be too conspicuous. Make up your mind to display stone yards on them. Allow nothing but good solid stone work; no patent arrangement should be allowed, as they are not in harmony with a modern cemetery. Keep your place clean, allow no outsider to put in foundation work or set markers. As to planting evergreens, trees, shrubs, etc., use precaution. Do not try to get too much in one spot. Avoid too close planting. Do not conceive the idea that you can succeed by not allowing plants on graves or allowing no mounds. This is too premature, our successors in years to come may accomplish this, but with the present competition surrounding every cemetery one has to use great care in the way things should be governed. Encourage cut flowers, as they are less troublesome and pay better than anything from the greenhouse.

Every cemetery should have its own greenhouses and grow plants and cut-flowers for the accommodation of lot holders. This gives pleasure to the lot holders, as they like to stroll through a greenhouse and appreciate it if properly cared for. Keep it clean. Do not grow anything that has no value. Plants of interest are what we want such as Palms, Orchids, Carnations, Roses, Violets, Pansies, Forget-me-nots, Specimen Ferns, Smilax and Bedding Plants, with a few other good flowering bulbs, as these are the standard varieties. The one in command should have full charge of employing, discharging, buying and paying all bills, and if anything is wrong he is responsible for it.

Have your men who attend to the burials provided with proper garments, such as men should wear. Do not have them appear like tramps, wearing unsightly looking clothes, as if to scare the mourner. Everything should be cheerful.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 9th Annual Convention
Richmond, VA
September 18, 19 and 20, 1895

In discussing the subject assigned "The Importance of Landscape Engineering Work in Planning Cemeteries" it is not my pleasure to dwell upon the artistic side of the question. I shall not speak of the magnolia grandiflora whose myriad blossoms twinkle in their setting of green as star lights in a velvet sky, of an air redolent with the perfume of many blossoms, or resonant with the song of sweet-voiced birds. Nor, shall I attempt to carry you in word-built boats along the banks of crystal waters, where the wave lips are dimpled into kisses for the lilies on the shore. But rather, I shall dwell upon the subject of producing the beautiful, long, green foliage which your stockholders long to behold upon the date of the annual dividend-Landscape Engineering-with the purpose of producing a businesslike, clean cut paying proposition without frills or fancy work agreeable to the eye of the public.

In the not too far distant future we must better correlate the work of the Landscape Artist and the Landscape Engineer, or recognize in them two utterly distinct professions, performing diversified missions in the field of cemetery development. The present translation of the two professions defined by nothing other than the great majority of their own works shows the two terms to be as widely indifferent as day is from night. With the Landscape Artist who plans for beauty alone, who creates a picture with the same spirit that his brother enjoys when he lays colors upon canvas, there is no criticism held, provided his work be done under conditions favorable to this type of treatment. When the appearance is paramount and means unlimited for the purpose, it is most assuredly the mission of this artist to allow his artistic sense every latitude and produce, to the best of his ability, a monument to his art.

In the planning of the cemetery, his artistic trend must, on the contrary, be constantly tempered by knowledge and experience in actual cemetery operation built on a foundation of engineering, training. There are limitations in the search for the artistic which must be recognized to a greater extent in cemetery building. These limitations are three-the cost or construction, the cost of operation and the cost of maintenance. Each step in cemetery planning must be weighed carefully in the balance, by all three standards, before a decision is reached. It must be remembered that construction cost is but the first cost, that certain short cuts which appear feasible to the cemetery designer and which on the spur of the moment are desirable, due to the pressure created by lack of time or finance, often sway the judgment to unwise decisions for which operation and maintenance must pay many times during the life of the cemetery.

Construction is the first step and a slippery one. During the construction period, the landscape engineer must be continually alert to reaching proper adjustments between the construction cost, the operating cost and the maintenance cost. For only during the construction period can the desired savings be affected at a minimum of expense.

Too frequently do we hear the boast that a new cemetery was placed on a sales basis in an incredibly short time and at unusually low costs. These figures are usually based on acres graded, rather than on yards of earth removed on lineal feet of roadway, completed without mention of sub grade conditions or specifications on material and method of placing. Drains also are often considered as outlets for storm water through the catch basins, although the drain laid to collect the soil water after a short study of strata and incline would produce dryer burial ground and a better labor condition at an initial cost quite favorable by comparison. First cost and speed in construction are desirable. Both must be given full weight, especially during a time when completion of burial ground means a return on a large expenditure, but never must the cost of operation and maintenance be forgotten. Thinking in the abstract, dreaming of effects and guessing at results will not bring the answer. Real study, plans based on actual conditions and available records of past cemetery operations are the only safe guides.

In modern practice the initial action in planning the cemetery is the topographical survey, usually worked out with care and precision. The second step, to which many of our modern cemeteries bear mute witness, is the location of roadways on the topographic map obtained, with an utter disregard for any of the information thereon. Perfect circles rapidly appear straight, broad avenues intersect contour lines with reckless abandon. All energies are bent on producing a fancy map, regardless of the mounting prices of steam shovel and scraper operation. Thousands of yards of earth are moved to fit this beautiful plat but seldom do pencil and paper make contact to determine the amount of earthwork involved in the choice of several routes.

In selection of roadways another vital element is frequently forgotten namely the trend of travel within the cemetery's limits. Ton miles mean money for road upkeep just as surely as they mean money for truck and auto upkeep. Cemetery employees must use these roadways for transportation their time and the wear and tear of cemetery equipment is an expense. The construction of long sections at right angles to each other prevents the continuation of radial drives and defeats direct travel. While roadways should, in the main, be curved, they should approach the radial plan from the cemetery entrance in the same scheme that modern city planning recognizes as good practice for main thoroughfares into the business section.

On every industrial project under consideration today, whether it be the maintenance of an automobile factory, the construction of a building or the operation of a cemetery we must consciously or unconsciously make provision for those intangible costs known as "Overhead and Contingency". The contractor adds a certain percent to his bid precedes it with these items and presents his figure for doing the work. The Cemetery Superintendent, wrestling with the cost of "Perpetual Care", lays aside his actuary tables unit costs and integral calculus and puts down a figure which he thinks will cover "the rest of it". "The rest of it" means our aforesaid items, persistent overhead and contingency. He knows his roadways, park spaces, drains, buildings, transportation and a dozen other items must be paid for from cemetery profits that directly they do not earn one cent. That is overhead. He knows that when he set that mausoleum under the big tree, some day someone must settle for the damage done when the tree blew down. He knows that when he bought the poorly designed catch basin grating, which will some day slip out of place and break an ankle, he set a trap for a damage suit. He knows that when the sharp turn was placed at the foot of the steep roadway grade he built a scenic setting for an auto accident. These are some of the constituents of "Contingency".

Neither of these items can be entirely eliminated. Every business must carry their cost; but the measure of that cost is usually the measure of the success of the business under association. The Cemetery Superintendent with his zealous care and careful observation cannot undo all these errors within reasonable cost or human ingenuity. The theories of the efficiency engineer can but in small measure assist in alleviating bed rock circumstance. The time to reduce the cost of Overhead and Contingency begins with a vengeance the day the cemetery is planned and dwindles away to nothing on the day the cemetery is abandoned forever.

In conclusion, let us ever keep in mind, when planning the cemetery, that it is a business proposition as well as a picture. That the grounds planned with an eye to operation and maintenance cost must in time, have the better financial condition to preserve appearance. From the moment that plans are begun, we must never forget that overhead is a factor in maintenance, whether the project be considered on the perpetual care basis or individual upkeep and that moneys spent on overhead are never visible.

The complete design of the cemetery cannot be left to the artist alone. While every element of cemetery construction must be considered from the standpoint of beauty and aesthetic value, the weight of construction, operation and maintenance must be found and recognized at the time of beginning.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 35th Annual Convention
Detroit, Michigan
September 13, 14 and 15, 1921

Developed in 1998 by the Government and Legal Affairs Task Force of the
International Cemetery and Funeral Association
 

BACKGROUND

The dedication of a new cemetery creates a permanent addition to the community. The extent of the design and planning, financing and long-term maintenance arrangements by those who own or control a cemetery, identified herein as the "cemetery authority," will determine whether the cemetery is ultimately an asset or detriment to the community. Regardless of whether a particular cemetery is operated as for profit or nonprofit, religious or non-sectarian, municipal or fraternal, each cemetery must literally be prepared to service what it sells forever.

The cemetery authority should meet minimum capitalization requirements and establish an endowment care trust fund to provide financial stability for the newly-created cemetery.

PRINCIPLES

1. The person intending to conduct business as a cemetery authority and establish a new cemetery should make application to the regulatory authority that has jurisdiction over cemeteries. The application process should include the following:
   
   1. Legal documents pertaining to the property and creation of the legal entity to conduct the business of a cemetery;
   2. Proof of deposits showing that the initial requirements for capitalization and the endowment care trust fund have been satisfied; and
   3. Documentation to demonstrate the ability to establish a new cemetery, financial stability, and prior business experience.
2. The site selected for the cemetery should be free and clear of financial encumbrances, conform with local zoning ordinances, and be formally dedicated for cemetery purposes. Interments should be restricted exclusively to human remains. A legal description of the property, including a map or plat of the site, subdivided into gardens or sections, should be filed with the appropriate entity.
    
3. Prior to commencing sales, the cemetery authority should be required to develop an area suitable for interment of human remains. The cemetery authority also should have made improvements to the property, that include an on-site office to conduct business and a road permitting access to the office and to all property for which the immediate sale of interment spaces is proposed.
    
4. A cemetery authority engaging in the sale of predeveloped interment spaces should have specified time periods from the date of the first sale for commencing and completing construction.
    
5. The initial amount contributed to the endowment care trust fund may be offset by withholding subsequent deposits from the sale of interment spaces until the initial deposit amount is recovered.
    
6. Permission to establish a new cemetery could be withheld by the regulatory authority if any director, officer, or manager affiliated with the cemetery authority has been convicted previously of fraudulent activities.
    
7. When the requisite documentation is provided to the regulatory authority, the regulatory authority should not unreasonably withhold permission for the establishment of a new cemetery.
    
8. The permission granted for establishing a new cemetery shall expire if basic operation of the cemetery does not begin within a specified time period.
    
9. Permission to establish a cemetery should not be transferable or assignable. A cemetery authority may only develop or operate the new cemetery at the location which is authorized under the application to the regulatory authority.

City planning, probably as you all know, is a term that has probably been used throughout the world for the last ten or fifteen years. It is not new because city planning started way back in the ages when men began to accumulate and live in small hamlets. As cities grew the difficulties of their growth were enhanced by transportation troubles living problems, housing troubles and so on consequently the last ten or fifteen years has seen much development in the idea of city planning, and it has become a subject of interest in this country particularly.

Ordinarily cities grow like the old cemeteries used to grow and we found that new additions had to be made and there were not proper facilities for carrying them out. Many of you know of superintendents who have found difficulty in acquiring enough and in making over the old cemetery to fit the new. I know we have had such difficulties in Detroit.

The city planning problem has very much the same atmosphere. Some cities fortunately have been laid out with the idea of accommodating future growth. The city of Washington, our national Capital, is a striking illustration of city planning from the beginning. As the city grew and became such an important factor in our national life, development was very easy because of the foresight of the city planners.

That was an important factor in making Washington a beautiful place to live in, and I say that advisedly because there are two types, practically speaking, of city planning; that is, city planning for a city like Washington and on the other hand, city planning for a manufacturing community such as Detroit. It is readily seen that one plan would not fit another consequently, the plans must be considered in advance for the type of town that is to be developed.

Cities are growing today faster than they ever were. The lack of proper facilities in the country and high wages in the city, have attracted a great element from the country districts to the city; we are consequently called in to exert every effort possible to make the city a decent place to live in.

Detroit has perhaps doubled in population in the last ten years. It is costing the city of Detroit today 50 or 60 millions of dollars to provide for this growth to provide sewers and water. We have over 150,000 people in the city or Detroit today who do net have sewers. The City Engineer is trying to expend a million dollars a month, and he cannot do it, he cannot get contractors to build sewers to take care of the growth which I have just mentioned. Consequently there is a demand for transportation, for the solution of transportation problems, and all that manner of thing which goes into the building of the city. I only want to call your attention to this because I think it is a very important, element perhaps net in the minds of you gentlemen, as superintendents, but your efforts in advising the cemetery associations, etc., who locate cemeteries, that they should be located with some study as to the growth of the future of the city, as well as with regard to traffic condition.
We have cemeteries in the city today which are located on heavy traffic streets, and it causes a great deal of inconvenience to the public and is a decided factor in money values.

We are trying to widen these streets, taking into account the atmosphere and location of the cemetery. For instance, on Van Dyke Avenue in this city, we are carrying on construction work, or rather we are widening that street to 106 feet, not entirely on account of the cemetery, but that will relieve the conditions that exist on Van Dyke Avenue today.

Woodward Avenue has been widened from the Six Mile road to the Eight Mile road and I might say in this connection that the builders and founders of Wood Lawn Cemetery located on Woodward Avenue, exhibited wonderful foresight because they made it possible for us to widen Woodward Avenue to 100 feet. They dedicated their portion to the city and Woodward Avenue is one of the big traffic streets, probably the most traveled street in America today. As I say, they provided for a future width of 100 feet when that cemetery was first laid out, and they are to be commended.

City planning problems have been carried on in the past generally by city planning commissions. Some of the city planning problems have not been adequately solved because there was no city planning commission as part of the city government. We are very fortunate in Detroit, because we had a city planning commission appointed in 1909 and in 1919 a new city planning commission was created consisting of nine members and by the city charter that commission is an integral part of the city government. I served on the old commission as one of the commissioners and since that old commission went out, I have been consultant of the new city commission as city planner.

City planning does not necessarily mean picturesque cities nor fanciful ideas; it means the practical solution of problems which confront us in providing for the future growth and in taking care of present conditions. We have been most fortunate in Detroit in that the council has been behind us in all respects. We have today probably one of the largest programs for street openings and widenings of any city in the world. We have a ten million dollar park and recreational bond issue which was voted in April 1919 and we have increased the park acreage in Detroit from 932 to 3,400 acres.

I have a map on the wall here which I hope you will be able to see. We have provided recreation facilities after having studied the matter from the standpoint of distribution of population and child density etc. We have located playgrounds play fields, parks, and outer boulevards, having those considerations in mind.

It might be interesting for you to know that playgrounds are differentiated from play fields, the former being small places for children to play in. We have a density of child population in Detroit in some locations, fortunately very few of 215 children to the acre.

I am now pointing to a district where 54 playgrounds have been ordered condemned and 11 of them have already been so condemned. We have planned thoroughfares, boulevards and our recreational system with the idea of connecting up the outer parkways boulevards and the parks all along this outer boulevard; which will be 46 miles encircling the city and tying up our most important parks.

Here is a plan of the city of Detroit showing in red the cemeteries. We city planners have in mind at all times the provision of open areas for light and air so that sane and suitable living conditions can be had. These cemeteries provide open wooded areas where light and air are available for the community. You will see by the map that we have provided park and recreational facilities of 225 acres; we have Belle Isle with 117 acres of recreational facilities; then we have Palmer Park on the north and an additional tract out in the River Rouge district. In studying the situation in connection with the location of cemeteries and city planning, you will notice that the north district of Detroit is well provided with cemeteries which take care of this whole district.

This map shows you a program of providing for the growth of Detroit in 1945 with a possible population of four and a half millions. Detroit has an acreage of 76.3 square miles. As I have said this map shows the growth of Detroit in 1945. I might say that the telephone companies and the electric light companies are planning on the heaviest growth in our northwest section, which is indicated en this map.

You will see that Detroit grows in fingers, stretching out in the manner indicated. Our greatest density of population is in this northwest district and you will notice that the only cemetery is out in Redford. This entire district here, as indicated on the map, is not provided with cemeteries. There is a chance for somebody to promote a new cemetery association.

I call your attention to this particularly because in city planning, the location of cemeteries must consider the location of thoroughfares. For instance, today, in this district here there is not a thoroughfare which is fit to use, consequently there must be provided in that district some day, a cemetery that will take care of that whole district.

Cemeteries should be located with regard to the future density of growth transportation facilities, etc. It is a very important factor in locating a cemetery or in remodeling your old cemetery to have proper setbacks to provide for the future widening of streets.

Today we are condemning pieces of properties from two different cemeteries for perhaps nearly a mile long on each cemetery. However it was fortunate, as I said a few minutes ago in the case of one cemetery, it was not necessary because the founders of that cemetery, Woodlawn, on Woodward Avenue, provided for the future, and had the proper set-backs for the future growth. That would seem to indicate that the study and thought should not be confined within the limits of the property which you buy. The means of egress and ingress to and from a cemetery are important considerations and should be planned with as much study and regard to the future growth as cities themselves. Today we have made plans for crossing one of the cemeteries on the east side. The cost of a bridge across that cemetery was practically prohibitive, but the necessity of crossing this cemetery in some manner arises because it blocks the way to the entire eastern section of the city. Heavy traffic must take a devious and roundabout way, whereas if that cemetery were not located where it is, it would be possible to save considerable time in making the journey from the down town section to the eastern end of the city.
Detroit was originally planned like Washington, the French engineer Monsieur LaFond, being responsible for our radial system. After we got a quarter or a mile away from the river, we seem to have lost the clue, because it practically ends at Grand Circus Park, with which you are all familiar, and five or six blocks east or west of Woodward.

I have before alluded to the fact that we have one cemetery in this city which, because of its location, makes necessary a roundabout route for motor and vehicular traffic going from one section of the city to the other. We are working with the Police Department in outlining certain streets for heavy traffic. There will be an ordinance passed and enforced requiring heavy traffic to confine itself to certain streets and this is absolutely necessary because last year our heaviest toll of deaths was caused by heavy moving vehicles. Over 74 percent of all the deaths occurring last year were caused by heavy moving vehicles. So we propose to restrict heavy moving traffic to certain streets, just the same as you find street cars only on certain streets. This leads me to say that wherever possible in the planning of cemeteries, they should be located a distance from these heavy traffic streets. I should think that cemeteries are a good deal like churches. They like to be en the highways and Woodward Avenue is a good illustration of that principle. We have a great number of churches located on Woodward Avenue, some of which are entirely surrounded by the fast growing business district. But, I think we are outgrowing that theory, and churches located on Woodward Avenue, are very glad to get away out into the residential sections where traffic conditions are not so unusual.

I think it is important in the location of future cemeteries to study traffic conditions, the thoroughfare systems of the city; and I do not mean by that that they should be located way off of heavy traffic streets, but they should be to a certain degree far enough removed for the reasons which I have heretofore indicated. That may be a thought worth considering.

Of course when the people who planned the cemeteries on Woodward Avenue laid them out, they had no idea that Detroit would reach the growth which it has; but I imagine they find it somewhat of a hardship, because Woodward avenue is the only street that reaches that section of the city at the present time.

We are very fortunate, however, in having a radial system of streets. Probably no other country in America was fortunate enough to have a radial system mapped out for it in the beginning, and the radial system is the quickest way of getting from the outside districts down town. The only thing which we lacked was a cross-town thoroughfare, and that we are providing for now.

City planning problems arise by usage. The Dix-High-Waterloo cross town thoroughfare, which we are working on today is twelve miles in length and will extend from one side of the city to the other. It is very important to get some street across there, and yet as you will see by the map, this cemetery cuts off practically all east and west streets and it is through that district that the highway of which I have just spoken will go. It throws all the burden of traffic on the streets north and south, because all this district in here must get to the down town section either north or south of that cemetery. If that cemetery had been laid out the narrow way, east and west, it would not have been handicapped as it is today.

We are confronted with some difficulty in getting around cemeteries located in that way and some cities have gone so far as to bridge ever or tunnel under, cemeteries located such as this one is. New York has done so, and some other cities are starting it. Under the law as it at present exists, it is impossible to condemn cemeteries with grades. In Michigan we can do so at the present time where there are no grades.

If you men, as superintendents and representatives, of cemeteries take into consideration the future growth of cities in planning cemeteries, you will be doing a great deal of good for posterity, and save a great deal of trouble caused by cemeteries illogically located.

From now on there is going to be much more study and thought given to the idea of city planning because cities all over the country are taking up the idea. Over 140 cities of over 50,000 in population in America today are considering re-planning their city either remodeling or rebuilding it by making new streets, new thoroughfares, etc.; consequently, the location not only from a profit standpoint, but from a utility standpoint, the proper location of cemeteries in a city planning proposition is of utmost importance to the future growth of that city.

I have in mind two or three cities which I have helped solve planning problems, where we have found cemeteries using large areas blocking and practically strangling the growth beyond that particular portion of the city. We recognize the necessity for cemeteries. Some day we will all need them, but their location should not be a haphazard thing; it should be a well studied plan, carried out in conjunction with the future growth of the city, and in conjunction with thoroughfares, consideration being given to the location of heavy traffic streets, railroads, etc.

Detroit has grown so fast that it has become a big problem to deal with traffic conditions. I need hardly tell you people that the use of the motor car on city streets has changed the whole condition of affairs. You men in your cemeteries know that the width of the road, and the question of drainage have become quite serious since the popular use of the automobile. We do not build roads for automobiles today as we used to.

The ideal city today is a city of 100,000 to 150,000 population. In planning that city from the beginning we endeavor to arrange for belts at intervals where provision is made for parks, recreation grounds, farming or garden belts, including cemeteries, green houses and nurseries.

Today, we are planning for the city of Detroit a zoning system which is one of the highest types of city planning. In that zoning system we are planning for belts such as I have mentioned as a protective measure. We have made provisions for the location of industrial belts where manufacturing can be carried on and all manner of nuisances, as we term them, can grow.

That might be termed the method of making cities grow in an orderly way. Canada has started such programs and has made progress along that line. Your good friend, Tom Adams from Ottawa has talked until he is black in the face trying to get cities to grow in this orderly way which I have referred to, making provision for large areas in which can be located agricultural belts for cemeteries, green houses, etc. as I have mentioned them. You can readily see what a vast difference such belts would make in the life of the community where light and air are provided. It becomes a very important factor, and we feel as city planners that the cemetery should be located from the standpoint of light and air circulation, etc. and also after very careful consideration of the question of traffic conditions. It would have been a very clever fellow indeed who could have predicted or estimated that Detroit would ever reach the size which it is today. But, it does not make any difference how large or how small the city is, the plan should be comprehensive enough to take in future additions. I doubt very much if the founder of the cemetery located at Redford way out Grand River (you cannot see it on this map) ever thought that the heavy growth would be in that direction. As I have before pointed out, you will notice that there is a large area in this district, where no provision whatever is made for cemeteries. We should have an agricultural belt in that district which would be included in the cemetery belt.

My profession is that of a landscape architect, nevertheless several times I have been called on to layout a cemetery. I have always "passed the buck". I think every man should stick to his own job, and I always thought there were enough cemetery superintendents to take care of it, and fortunately I had enough friends among the cemetery superintendents to take care of that work. But I know you men are not planning cemeteries simply to take care of the present situation. If you are, you are making a mistake. Cemeteries should be planned as open spaces, a place where people can go to enjoy the green grass, flowers, trees and nature's beauties.

I am not in favor of the "Evergreen" atmosphere. It makes me think too much of the old idea of the cemeteries; that atmosphere is passing today and you gentlemen are the ones who should make it pass a little more quickly. Not that we have in mind the idea of using cemeteries as a playground, but as a restful place. We have in Detroit, in some districts, children who have never seen a spear of grass; we have not one, but thousands of children who never get an opportunity to go to a park, a playground and not even to Belle Isle, just a short distance from the city.

You men in charge of the beautification of burial grounds can alleviate this condition to some extent by providing open air spaces where such children can enjoy God's free air and wondrous sunshine; where people can enjoy those things while they live, and you will take care of them when they are gone.

In closing I want to leave with you the thought that in city planning work, in the development of practical ideas, cemeteries play an important part. Their location should not be guessed at but should be a matter of thoughtful study having in mind the considerations and conditions which I have touched upon. I thank you.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 35th Annual Convention held at Detroit, Michigan
September 13, 14 and 15, 1921

At first sight it may seem presumptuous to talk to an audience of this character on the subject set for me, "Why the Cemetery Should Be a Garden”. The life business of so many of you is more or less a practical demonstration of the widely accepted principle indicated and looking at the matter from the viewpoint of a plain gardener, the best I can hope to do is to emphasize some of the apparent reasons and with special good fortune; stimulating afresh some thought along these lines.

What is a garden? The word has probably outgrown in this country its original etymological meaning, “an enclosed space" and might now be better described as a cultivated space especially cared for. When we recall all the thought, care and attention on devoted today to the gardens of this and other countries it is not difficult to accept this meaning. Adding to this the idea of rest, beauty, memory, faith and hope, it is not far to the great idea that is a place at once so near the human and the divine, that to very many it becomes the most hallowed spot on earth. This is not by any means a fancy picture, and I feel quite safe in the statement:

"Rest, comrades, rest and sleep
The thoughts of men shall be
As sentinels to keep
Your rest from danger free.

"Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers
Yours has the suffering been
The memory shall be ours."

Linking up the garden idea with the cemetery, may I suggest first, that there is at least some traditional warrant for the assumption that the "sleeping place" should have the garden characteristic? Definite statement and perfectly permissible inference shows that again and again in the dim past the thought of garden "enclosure" was associated with burial. The cave in a field bought and set aside for a patriarchal burying place being used for more than one generation, at least suggests care. Again “there was a garden and in the garden a new sepulcher, there they laid him” are words covering another familiar instance of the garden tomb. Church history still further confirms the fact that for centuries the garden idea and garden care has been associated with the grounds used as last resting places. If in these early years the results were crude, they were probably not more crude than much of the other life of the age.

Horticulture in its fine development deserves to rank among any of the arts of sciences, with the result that in present day conditions we can easily find another strong reason for the statement that the cemetery should be a garden. Never in the history of the world has there been such an appreciation of and love for the beautiful in nature as there is today. Statistics on such a subject as this seem out of place, but the assertion can be easily proved by those who delight in the analytical. In this land, as well as in many others, the value of the artistic as a psychological asset is becoming a real factor in commercial life. Home life, town and city life, as well as business life demand this as a positive essential to the progress of civilization. Given these conditions it is not far to carry the idea to the last sleeping place, thereby claiming that to keep pace with the times the cemetery should constantly prove the presence of a real horticultural guardian. It should be artistic without being exotic, full of landscape beauty, without being a horticultural exhibition. It might well be a place where spreading lawns, shade-giving trees, blooming shrubs and the song of birds combine to make it a hallowed place for the dead, and a lovely spot for the living. Irrespective of the size of the community served a modern cemetery is almost of necessity rural. Is there not here another strong reason for the hand of the gardener where the influence on the immediate neighborhood is bound to be felt? Just as one good garden on a street is sometimes the inspiration to change the whole character of the street, the impression gathered from a real garden burial ground must be helpful in the district where it is placed. As an asset to the town or city there is some value due to the fact that being so often at one of its entrances the visitor gets right here his first and often most lasting impression. This point is worth mentioning, but I do not labor it; passing on to say a word or two on the more definite aspects of the subject.

The cemetery should be a garden because it is a place of rest. Any student of horticulture will confirm the statement that the idea of restfulness is directly associated with gardens. The best garden planners constantly have this in mind. The glaring and the gaudy both in color and form are omitted from worth while designing, and in their place there is a striving after the harmony which means variety in unity, that peacefulness of effect, which is but another name for restfulness. Landscaping has yet to be treated in this convention and I do not intrude, but I may be allowed the statement that the tendency of the best landscape gardeners is to avoid shocks and to emphasize quietness, to put an embargo on the merely artificial, that the natural may be accentuated. A true garden brings rest to practically all the senses in the very highest degree, and because of this fact I am unhesitating in the statement that man's last earthly sleeping place in its. environment may well be the most restful of all. Sentiment if you like but one of life's sentiments that we can ill afford to miss.

The association of beauty with the garden is yet another reason for the hand of the gardener in the cemetery. Beautification, merely amounting to beautification of home surroundings, is now so general that the idea has almost become an accepted principle. Next to the growing for food, the first thought about a garden is beauty. We have looked at this from a general point of view but is especially true of the individual. Both the garden and the grave have about them much of the personal touch and even granting that the sense of beauty does not invariably appear in the garden the call to beauty is nearly always felt in connection with the cemetery lot. Beauty of design, beauty of construction and beauty down to the smallest detail is increasingly demanded, and in these days when by common consent we pay every respect to our honored dead, beauty of surroundings surely has a place.

The idea of memory in this connection is so obvious that it needs hardly more than mere mention. The tree planters of one generation call for thankful remembrance by the next from an economic point of view. The garden that counts its timely decades rather than years naturally has clustered around it the most sacred memories. Whilst the almost imperishable record in granite and marble is strikingly imposing, the memory of past generations will assuredly be sweeter if it is in part associated with trees. And if in the march of time the cemeteries of the cities reach the point where they are past serving their original purpose and to some extent become city breathing places for crowded districts, the practiced hand of the gardener will be revealed where tree and shrub, grass and flower, are blending in nature's finest harmony, the place in very truth becoming a memorial to those who have passed into the unknown.

Is it too much to claim for both the garden and the cemetery that they are the homes of faith and hope? A fine text for a sermon, but I refrain from preaching. I am talking to men who can appreciate the idea, being so closely associated with both the aspects suggested, and I venture to submit that there is no profession on earth calling for more constant exercise of these two virtues than that of the man who plants. His hope in the eternal round of the seasons, his trust in the seed he sows, his confidence in the coming of seed-time and harvest bring him constantly close up to the miracles of growth. There is no labor in the universe bringing such reward, no work providing such thrills of joy, no occupation giving such a sense of completeness, content and blessing. And if this be so, I am bold to ask: Do I claim too much in the statement that the garden conception should be closely associated with the burial ground? If there is any real connection between nature and nature's God, surely it can be found where every bud and bloom, every leaf and twig, every branch and every tree, bears silent witness to the faith and hope of man in immortality. And if at times the great phrase "I am the resurrection and the Life" fall on the ears of those too stricken to hear, the humble flower at our feet stands out in glorious confirmation. The "sure and certain hope" finds its eternal witness in the very blades of grass on which we stand. So I venture to submit to you this morning these simple reasons among many others for the assumption that the cemetery should be a garden.

It is at once a pleasure and an honor to speak along these lines to a body of men who by intuition and training are so alive to these great facts, men whose life business it is to make easy some of the darkest hours of their fellows, men who spend their time trying to make the cemetery a fitting place for the living, as well as for the dead, men who have the touch of fine taste and are full of the finer feelings, and I am sure my appeal does not fall on deaf ears. The flowers of France hallowed because they grow in soil fertilized by the blood of our noblest and best-were silent witnesses to deeds of valor for the great cause of liberty and truth. Are not the same flowers a perpetual reminder as they grow in quietness round our homes and round our tombs, that man lives in deeds, not years, that high ideals and courage dignify and ennoble life, that the way of life leads through the gates of death, and that life alone is worth while which has in it the elements of chivalry, bravery, beauty and truth.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Convention held at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
September 7, 8, 9 and 10, 1920

There are situations and questions which can be summed up by an epigram-fortunately, even if I had the wit to make one, this question of the control of stonework in cemeteries, is still an open and unsolved one and can only be stated by a more or less elaborate set of rules.

With a garden cemetery, to which lot owners have given approval of the plan by the act of buying there, why is it not possible by a few simple rules to bound the activities of monumental builders so that they will not be in conflict with the spirit of the scheme? The lot owner's answer usually is that the lot was selected under the stress of affliction when rules were not then uppermost in the mind. Any law or regulation which requires the generality to act uniformly in a specific case must have the full sanction of public opinion behind it or it will be evaded, and the evasion have so much sympathy as to make enforcement difficult. Paradoxical as it may seem, this disinclination to be ruled by others, tends not only to conserve our liberties, but is a fundamental element of all human progress. Independence of thought and action are at once the cause and effect of progress. Are we altogether guiltless of fostering the idea of independent treatment m cemetery work? Have not certain sections of rules, usual to most cemeteries, a suggestion that differences of treatment are desirable?

The sanest and fairest set of regulations that has come into my hands says "the copying of a monument is to be avoided. No matter how pleasing a design may be, to duplicate it destroys the effect and injuries the appearance of a cemetery." I agree with every word of this but if the idea is not modified by common sense it would furnish an excuse for evading any rule, and does it not instill into the minds of lot owners that say grave markers uniformly level with the sod, may become monotonous. The great majority will of course follow the bellwether as we found to our sorrow in the east, when the curbing craze afflicted us. We all desire to be original, but so little are we so that from cemetery monuments to pin-heel shoes, we follow the crowd. It is the thinking few that will exact intelligent variety of treatment, and it seems to me that the thinking few are worth listening to and answering with something better than the east wind of authority.

Some of my friends knowing the distaste I have for popular memorials, may wonder at these expressions, but stating the things thus baldly may bring out discussion, and I seriously wish to put you in the frame of mind in any such discussion; not as that of the architect who sees his efforts to build an artistically finished structure, spoiled by perverse stupidity-not as the gardener who has laid out God's Acre pleasing in color with contour restful to the eye and soothing to the broken heart ruined by hideous stone structures and garish colors-but as such men and yet possessed by sweet reasonableness and ready to sympathize with any honest difference.

I have said, any law or any cemetery regulation which is ahead of public opinion, will be difficult to enforce, and a law enforced in a lax manner not only spells difficulty for the management in other directions but opens the door to the suspicion of favoritism. A novel of the Victorian period, the name of whose writer I have forgotten, if I ever know had the title "Grasp Your Nettle," so my moral is, if you are confident of the necessity of a restricting rule, make it and adhere to it. General statements that your cemetery is on the park or garden plan, without definite rules, invite trouble.

A century ago, the burial places of this country were at least somewhat better than those of any corresponding community, but at that they, were bad enough. The leading spirits of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society thought the time was ripe for a change, and the result was the establishing on a considerable scale of a garden cemetery. Dr. Jacob Bigelow, whose efforts mainly brought this about, is today quoted in the Medical School and his "Florula Bostoniensis" is still a prize.

Associated with Dr. Bigelow were able men in other walks of life who have left their imprint on the nation. One would think that inaugurated under such auspices, the scheme would go uninterruptedly to success, yet in fifteen years we find the good doctor lamenting that the granite curbing and iron fence were destroying the whole character of the place. Some years later, the wonderful success of Straus' work at Spring Grove, induced the authorities to set off a portion to be treated as a lawn, one-half of which was sold as burial lots and the other half reserved as ornamental ground. Nearly every one of these lots is enclosed by the usual granite curbing.

There is an old saying that after death we are each entitled to our six feet of ground, and is it not a natural extension of the idea, that each family is entitled to its own burial place, with its meets and bounds the most conspicuous thing, and the individual grave marked not with something which will be lost in the general plan, but even at the expense of taste with something which will shout aloud to the passerby. Let us, therefore, formulate rules that are fair and reasonable, that will take into consideration not only the needs, but the customs of the public and having made the rules adhere to them. We are learning fast that the happiness of the individual is important and necessary to the general welfare, yet it is not unfair to ask that in the royal fellowship of death, individual tastes be merged in a general scheme. Public convenience is conserved and individual liberty not much circumscribed by the establishment of one-way streets.

You will have noticed that I have been very general in my statements, and not at all helpful with suggestions as to particular rules. The truth is I have never seen a set of rules I could fully endorse. Some are as impracticable as trying to make water run up hill and others are so vague as to be a mere pious expression of opinion.

I always have a feeling that the unfortunate results of this state of indecision will be remedied by what our successors a hundred years hence will do to our cemeteries, and that in reality the worse the individual lot looks, the sooner the remedy will be applied. I have seen a cemetery transplanted bodily to make room for a reservoir. I see children playing and a baseball diamond over the place where were buried men who took no small share in the making of the nation. Our pious forefathers placed the bodies of their kin in the vaults under churches, with the full expectation that they would there rest until the General Resurrection. Today they are scattered to wherever the frugal-minded church authorities could find the most economical resting place. If the good souls who are loud in their wail as to the arbitrary rules of cemetery corporations, could look into the future, they might pause before setting up memorials, the individuality of which is the chief characteristic.

I have no doubt that nine-tenths of the cemetery corporations represented here are protected by proper rules, but I doubt if any such proportion of them carry them to their logical conclusion. If your experience has been along the lines of mine, designers of monuments, and to a lesser degree, landscape architects, resent any suggestion of control. Men with originality and broadmindedness will consider the surroundings when producing a design, but with many the idea seems to be confined to making the lot stick out, and if it is an excrescence, their end is secured as much as if it was a gem of art. Keeping in mind, therefore, that the garden cemetery is an effort to produce a complete and harmonious whole, the authorities should have absolute veto over anything and everything added after the completion of the rot layout and preparation of the lots avenues, ornamental grounds, etc.

I take it that it is agreed that in any modern cemetery, curbing, fences, or anything approaching that character should not be permitted. I have noticed in some garden cemeteries, entrance steps which are just about as objectionable as the curbing, the excuse for placing these may be met by a proper grade. You may have noticed how some architects building in residential sections are obsessed with the idea of carrying the grade of the lawn so that it will meet the sidewalk with an abrupt bank at an impossible angle-impossible so far as maintaining a proper turf is concerned. A lawn or cemetery lot should start with a reverse curve tangent to the avenue, and should be graded up to the desired elevation without an abrupt break. Should this idea be followed the necessity for steps would be taken away. If one is unfortunate enough to be in one of the older cemeteries, where such things are by the deed permitted, it is important that steps be set back at least 18 inches from the avenue, so that if a change of line or elevation is thought desirable, it may be possible. In changing our avenues to meet the present conditions of transportation and modern ideas of road building, we found that steps added greatly to the expense, and in many cases altogether prevented the improvement. I may say here, parenthetically, that the cost of cutting the grass in a section where fences, curbs, steps, etc. are permitted is nearly three times that in a corresponding area laid out on the usual lawn plan. It follows, therefore, that in estimating the amount needed for the perpetual care of a lot having these encumbrances, not only must the actual cost of their care and repair be considered, but the additional expense of the care of the grass which their presence entails must be charged.

When it comes to the question of rules governing monuments and memorials in general. I confess I am a beggar for your opinion rather than a giver of any useful information. I have said that the size and position of the monument should be determined by the cemetery authorities. I don't think they should attempt any supervision of the artistic qualities of the work. Even so versatile a man as the cemetery superintendent, does not function well as an art commission. The works of architects, even those of the landscape variety, repeat themselves so often, that I doubt the effect of a one-man set of ideas. Truth compels me to say that the improvement in monumental design in the last twenty-five years has been more marked than in any other line of cemetery endeavors. It is unwise to place duplicate monuments, however artistic, near each other and the wise designer today is considering the question from the point of view of permanent position rather than showroom effect.

Monuments should be limited to 7 percent of the area of the lot and mausoleums should have a clear space on either side equal to the height. When it comes to considering grave markers or headstones, I confess I have not seen a rule which is not open to objections. In the cemetery in which I have the honor to serve, there has been for about forty years a rule limiting headstones in the lawn section to 30 inches in height. With a molded base that is too low for full inscription; that is as full as is desirable if the lot is without a monument, and if a cross should be used, it might be four feet high and still be less conspicuous. If there is a monument, headstones of 30 inches are altogether too high.

Under our deed the trustees by special veto may make concessions, but largely because my stonecutter friends have not played fair, this condition has not been a success, so that I believe in establishing a general rule and administering it without variation. Where cemeteries have placed limitations on headstones, the rule for height vary from three feet to markers level with the sod. Experiments are now being made in various cemeteries of selling lots on which the erection of a monument is forbidden, but I presume low headstones are permitted, and of selling lots on which only a monument may be erected. So natural and so universal is the desire to mark the individual grave that I feel such lots so sold will be very limited in number.

I also think the plan of having markers level with the sod is objectionable. A stone large enough to have a name or even initials inscribed, if level with the turf, is a bid for disfigurement. The man behind the lawn mower is not of such intellectual caliber that he can follow instructions and avoid running over such stones. A marker not over six inches high will not mar the lawn effect, and will be safe from the grass cutter and other workmen. The flat ledger monument used so much by our English cousins is now frequently used, and is capable of artistic treatment. We protect them by planting a border of ivy or euonymus around them, but such a border wide enough to grow a vine, would spoil the proportions of the small grave marker. A rounded edge is protection to such stones, indeed the bottom bases of all monuments and headstones, liable to come in contact with the lawn mower should have the edges rounded.

I am afraid that when you read this paper in the cold type of the official report you will find some apparent contradictions and inconsistencies. Because the question to my mind is still an open one with many sides, each having a part of the truth with it, there is some excuse for these inconsistencies.

Men are said to become pessimistic as they grow older and doubtless I tend in that direction, but if so, the situation as to stonework, as I see it, must have wonderfully improved. Forty year's ago it looked like an endless conflict between the forces of selfishness, ignorance and prejudice, and those of culture and regulation. Today I can see not only a vast improvement, but a public opinion behind that improvement that insures for permanence.

The conflict between the gardener and the stonecutter is now hardly in evidence. The gardener has ceased to reproduce Joseph's Coat as a front gate ornament, and the stonecutter does not now offer you the biggest thing you can get for the money. While the gardener of today has a freer hand in the cemetery, he has also a higher conception of the work he has to do. He is using less of the exotic and ephemeral and depending for effect on that which nature has set to his hand, fitting and congruous to the climate and environment in which it is to be used. The monumental builder has become not only more sympathetic with the aims of the gardner, but as I have said before, is improving his work in form and mustering to his aid all of art and science that is worth preserving.

Of all agencies which have made for better feeling, saner methods and finer taste, the right of the line beyond question belongs to this Association. When the twenty-one men of forward vision met in 1887, they had high aims, ability and purpose, but even then, "they builded better than they knew." To our sorrow and loss, but few of these men remain with us. The great majority of them have passed to their reward, and the banner is now in younger hands. May a due portion of the wisdom fidelity and faith of the founders be upon them and so we may rest in the assurance that work of their hands will be established in the place to which all flesh shall come.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Convention held at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
September 7, 8, 9 and 10, 1920

No phase of human activity has stronger traditions than the burial of the dead. In all ages man has attempted to give expression to his belief in the immortality of the soul. Almost the only records we possess of many races are the tombs which they erected. It is to be hoped that our own present age will never come to be judged by the records it will leave of burial in its great cities.

Idealism in Cemetery Design.-The first principle in cemetery design is the creation of that unmistakable atmosphere which we associate with the burial of the dead. There is a modern tendency to avoid a funereal aspect in cemeteries as though a cemetery was after all something to be ashamed of which ought to be disgusted as something else. Cemetery design as a fine art seeks to give expression to the purpose for which the design is created. In other words, the cemetery must look like a cemetery, not like a public pleasure park or recreation ground. This can only be accomplished by a study of the traditions which, throughout innumerable centuries, have produced certain well marked associations which we recognize as the atmosphere surrounding burial. An obvious example to prove this point may be drawn from architecture. No architect or designer who is unacquainted with the traditions of ecclesiastical architecture can build a church which is going to look like a church. He may succeed in meeting all the schedule of requirements laid down for his guidance as to seating capacity, choir space and altar, but the result is likely to prove much more like a moving picture theatre or physics lecture hall than a church. The reason for this is that, as a result of thousands of years of religious faith definite associations in architecture have grown up which we instinctively connect with public worship. When we go to church we are disappointed if the outside of the building looks like a barn and the inside like the Strand theatre.

What are the associations which have grown up around the burial place for the dead? They are seclusion, repose, solemnity and mystery.

Seclusion.-The modern cemetery is seldom secluded. Too often the roar of traffic on the great thoroughfare, where it is usually located, is only too audible.

Repose. - Having finally succumbed in the whirlpool of modern business life, the soul is everlastingly denied that repose for which it has been craving and is left in contemplation of the traffic problem of our great cities.

Solemnity.-Solemnity is accomplished by means of masses of granite balancing upon one corner.

Mystery.-There is nothing mysterious about our cemeteries. They constitute a permanent monument to the vanity, cynicism and materialism of our age.

In the United States reaction against the indecencies of the modern civic cemetery with its harvest of dragons’ teeth and its glorification of atrocities has led to extremes in which the whole purpose of the cemetery must be disguised as though death itself were the crime and complete obliteration of its evidence of the object.

Some years ago I received a call to visit a small cemetery and make suggestions for re-planning on more modern lines. What I found was a cemetery which approached more nearly to my ideal in cemetery planning than any modern burial ground which I have ever seen in any country. I felt instinctively upon entering that I was in the presence of the work of a student of great intellect and vivid imagination. My clients informed me that the cemetery was originally designed by a much traveled Jesuit father, since deceased. The rectangular site, of perhaps 30 acres, occupied the whole of a high tableland from which all views of the surrounding town were completely shut off by a double belt of Scotch and Austrian Pine, forty feet high. The plan simplicity itself took the form of a great cross which cut the property into four quarters. The lines of the cross were marked by straight wide alleys of level grass with a well designed monument at the crossing. Bounding the alleys on either side was a tall cedar hedge, in front of which were spaced out pyramidal cedars 25 feet high. The four blocks were subdivided into lots with simple head stones and served by a road way passing through each. Those fortunate enough to be buried here enjoy an atmosphere of seclusion repose, solemnity and mystery.

Requirements of the Modern Civic Cemetery.-The site: While twenty-five years is an extremely long period in the life of cities, it is an extremely short period in the life of a cemetery, if one may use the word life in connection with a burial ground. During the past twenty-five years the principles of transportation in our cities have undergone a complete revolution resulting in the spread of population over vast areas which would have been impossible under previous methods. A site chosen twenty-five years ago on account of its seclusion may now be the centre of the utmost congestion. The time has not yet arrived when definite limits will be set to the growth of cities although signs are evident that such action will eventually have to be taken.

The search for a site for a cemetery, therefore, will be guided by geographical and topographical conditions more than by judgment as to future civic development. A site partially or even entirely surrounded by water, for instance, will promise seclusion for an unlimited period. In mountainous and hilly districts sites can often be found which will insure seclusion for the cemetery on every side but one.

Accessibility.-In order to be accessible the cemetery need not necessarily be located on a great thoroughfare or any road which seems likely to develop, as such. A good road open to traffic at all times of the year is a necessity, but the possibility of an entrance some few hundred yards away from the thoroughfare rather than immediately upon it, is no disadvantage. Street car service within short walking distance of the cemetery should be provided or the probability of the provision at a later date considered. From two to four miles from the district which the cemetery is expected to serve is not too great a distance.

Seclusion.-Seclusion is by far the most important feature in my opinion when choosing a site. Natural topographical features, such as the crest of a hill or an expanse of water, are more to be relied upon than belts of trees either existing or proposed. Few of our native trees thrive well in the densely populated districts of our cities and it is doubtful if any trees can be counted upon to provide seclusion of such permanence as is demanded by a cemetery.

Aspect.-A site sloping toward the southeast and heavily protected toward the west, northwest and north is the ideal which should be sought. There are days in spring and fall when attendance at a funeral is sufficient to strain the affection of the most trusted friend. As our cold weather comes almost invariably from the north to the .west, protection from that quarter is essential. I have seen properties only a few hundred yards apart where the transformation from bleak winter into glorious summer is accomplished solely by means of a plantation of evergreens on the northwest. The convenience and comfort of the public, the associations surrounding a resting place for the dead and the operations connected with a cemetery in winter time demand adequate shelter from strong cold winds.

Natural and Topographical Features.-A hilly or undulating site is usually more attractive than a level site. Level sites are inclined to become extremely monotonous unless great skill is used in the layout and planning. It is most important that the whole of the Property should not be seen at one time as quite apart from the unsightliness of a forest of monuments, a piece of property invariably gives the impression. of much smaller size when the whole of it is seen at once than when broken up into a number of spaces varying in interest with well screened boundary lines. A property may be broken up in two ways, either by topographical irregularities or by masses of planting existing or proposed. While a site should not necessarily be condemned on account of being level a sharply undulating property will us usually possess greater possibilities for interest and beauty than one devoid of natural features. Existing trees on a property are of course a priceless asset, but much would depend on their character and disposition. If the property is likely to be fairly well preserved from city smoke for a long period a growth of cedars would be invaluable. Cedars, owing to their character and shape, will help more than any other native tree to produce the atmosphere of mystery which should be the keynote of a cemetery. Being evergreen they will also maintain the character at all times of the year. White pine and Norway spruce, although evergreens, are not to be counted upon to any great extent. The former invariably dies out upon the approach of the city while the latter is a short lived tree at the best of times and becomes extremely ragged and unsightly when old. A heavy growth of deciduous timber over the whole of the property may be rather a disadvantage than otherwise. While theoretically, the exact amount of clearing desired ought to be possible it is usually found in practice that great difficulty is experienced in having trees removed and the result may be less satisfactory than building up plantations where needed upon a bare site. In city cemeteries natural streams of water are an asset if obtainable, but can seldom be counted upon for very long, as the development of the city will usually eventually cut off the supply.

Soil and Drainage.-Every cemetery superintendent will agree upon the importance of soil and drainage when choosing a site for the cemetery. Owing to the depth at which graves have to be dug the water table must be kept down below six feet from the surface at all times of the year. The depth at which drainage operations have to be executed. may be an item of very great expense if large areas have to be dealt with. A deep, well drained sandy loam is the ideal soil for cemetery sites. Heavy clay should be avoided. Rock close to the surface would of course condemn any site.

The Layout.-Having chosen the site the next problem is its development. The scheme of development will be based upon certain information which must be on hand before a start can be made. An accurate topographical survey must be prepared of the whole with contours varying from one to five foot intervals according to the extent of the property and the differences in elevation to be encountered. Full information should be provided as to boundaries, location and character as well as the nature of the property beyond them. All trees and shrubs should be located their caliper spread and variety being marked clearly upon the plan. Armed with this information the designer may sit down and think out his problem.

When designing for any utilitarian purpose certain arbitrary limits and requirements are always laid down for the guidance of the designer. The designer of a dinner fork, for instance, knows that he is required to invent some type of instrument to be used for transferring pieces of roast beef from the plate to the mouth by means of the hand as a carrying medium. His first business is not to conceive something beautiful, but to sit down and discover the limits and requirements within which his design must take form. His summing up of the situation will probably be somewhat as follows: In the first place, he finds that his instrument must be suitable for picking up off the plate easily and gracefully a piece of meat. In the second place, he sets limits to the size of the piece of meat with which he has to deal. Thirdly, his instrument must be easily grasped in the fingers. Then again the meat must not be so firmly grasped by the instrument that it cannot be easily removed in the mouth. He knows that the fork must be easy to clean. It must be strong enough for the purpose but not so unnecessarily strong as to be clumsy. In solving all these problems he has already made long strides toward introducing an object of beauty, an object which expresses the purpose for which it is intended.

In exactly the same way the cemetery designer will sit down and think out the utilitarian purposes which his design is intended to serve and the limits within which this problem is to be solved. The requirements in this case are as follows:
1. The provision of suitable sites for graves, keeping in mind economy of land.
2. The provision of access to those graves.
3. The creation of a setting, or atmosphere, for the graves in keeping with the traditions of burial.

Instead of commencing by locating individual graves, he will turn his attention first of all to the question of access to the property as a whole. This involves the question of an entrance or entrances. In this connection the general direction of traffic to and from the centre of population which the cemetery is expected to serve will be considered. In a general way, the most convenient spot on the boundary of the property will be chosen but the right choice of an entrance is most important. In addition to being convenient for people approaching the cemetery, the entrance should also provide possibilities of concentration from and distribution to the various parts of the cemetery. Assuming that the cemetery does not front upon the main thoroughfare the entrance should be so placed, if possible, as to be visible from the thoroughfare, so possibly at the end of a connecting street. In order to make it more imposing the entrance should be at a slight elevation.

Having located the entrance, the distribution of roadways and the location of definite areas to be set aside for graves will be considered in conjunction with the cemetery office and chapel. For two reasons the bottoms of alleys are unsuited for graves. In the first place, they are apt to be wet, no matter how well drained artificially, and in the second place, the bottom of a valley filled with monuments is much more likely to destroy the restfulness of the cemetery than high ground similarly treated where the monument can be partially screened. In a general way, it may be said that the roadways should be kept to the graves on the high land. Distances between roadways are determined largely by the distance the pall bearers may be expected to carry. As this distance should not exceed two hundred feet it follows that the property should be intersected by roadways not more than 400 feet apart in cases where the intervening space is given over to graves. Traffic distribution must be carefully studied. It is quite obvious that circulation of traffic is preferable to blind alleys provided with turning spaces, although some of these latter will be inevitable on certain properties where the grades do not permit of circulation.

In a general way, three widths of roadways will be used in cemeteries. The one-way road of nine feet; the two-way road of eighteen feet and the three-way road of twenty-four feet. The one-way road, circulating and returning, may be expected to serve an area of from 15 to 20 acres. The two-way road will serve one or more of such areas. Three-way road will be used near the entrance and central parts of large cemeteries where much concentration of traffic is to be expected. Time will not permit us to deal further with the details of roadway layout and construction.

Focal Points and Controlling Features.-Something more is required of the cemetery designer than an engineering solution of a roadway scheme at the best grades and curves. The plan must represent something more than an aimless maze of curving roads. Focal points and controlling features are absolutely essential to the well thought-out plan, even in the smallest cemetery. The symbolism of burial demands a certain degree of formality, dignity and stateliness and although it is only seldom desirable to have formality embrace the whole of the design some areas must always be given a formal setting. Architectural features of merit; such as chapel, office and larger private monuments, which ought to enrich all cemeteries, form an admirable opportunity for the designer to provide controlling sites in his plan for just such features. In larger cemeteries one central distributing point, formal in treatment, comprising the chapel and some monuments, will form a controlling feature of the plan. A number of secondary focal points should also be provided at various points in the plan. A roadway may, for instance, be diverted to the right or left at the approach to a steep grade forming an admirable site for one of the larger monuments.

Graves and Monuments.-Until complete control is obtained by the designer over the monuments permitted, the ideal cemetery will never take form. Fifty years ago some simplicity and restfulness in the village church yard and cemetery were possible. This was, partly due to the fact that in most cases the funds available did not permit of anything more than simple headstones and partly to the fact that the traditions of burial were held in greater respect.

Some cemeteries in the United States have succeeded in the control of monuments almost to the point of abolition. Abolition, although infinitely better than individual license, is not the ideal. Monuments can and should be beautiful. They should be an aid to the designer instead of a hindrance and a priceless asset to the dignity and beauty of the cemetery. What is needed is control, both of lots and of monuments, by the cemetery designer. He it is who ought to decide the character of the memorial which is to be permitted on each grave. They will vary from flat stones level with the turf to the simple head stones or sarcophagus, while special lots will be set aside for larger monuments.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Convention held at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
September 7, 8, 9 and 10, 1920

Cemetery, from a Greek word meaning to sleep-literally, a sleeping place, was the name originally applied to the Roman underground burying places or catacombs. The early Christians also used the term for the places set apart for their dead and we learn from the fathers of the church that here, in the dawn of Christianity, were held the assemblies of the Christians.

These places were not connected with churches, interment in churchyards being unknown until later times. The term cemetery has, therefore, been appropriately applied in modern days to the burial grounds which have been substituted for the overcrowded churchyards.

Among the most picturesque cemeteries of the world are those of the Turks and it is possibly from them that the first idea of the cemetery, as we know it today with its shade trees and walks, was obtained.

In the Turkish burying grounds a cypress is usually planted beside each grave and so the cemetery becomes, in time, almost a forest where, by day, the doves are on the wing or perching on the trees. Here, too, are always to be seen Turkish women, pale shadows, praying beside the narrow graves. In Armenian cemeteries the tombstones depict the manner of the death of whoever is buried below, and on these extremely weird monuments one may see representations of men being decapitated or hanging on the gallows.

Of the cemeteries still in use in Southern Europe the catacombs of Sicily are the most curious. There is one near Palermo where in the subterranean corridors some 2,000 corpses are ranged in niches in the wall. The chief cemetery of France is the famous Pere la Chaise, in Paris. It obtains its name from the celebrated Confessor of Louis XIV to whom as rector of the Jesuits of Paris, it once belonged. It has an area of 200 acres and here are monuments to the great dead of modern France - soldiers, poets, painters and scientists. On two occasions this cemetery and the heights nearby have been the scene of battle. In 1814 the Russians stormed the heights during the attack on Paris. In 1871 the Communists made their last stand among the tombs of Pere la Chaise and there 900 of them fell. In 1874, as a consequence of the crowded state of the cemeteries of Paris, a great new burying place, two square miles in extent, was laid out some 16 miles north of the city with which it is connected by railway. In France every city and town is required by law to provide a burial ground beyond its barriers, properly laid out and situated if possible on rising ground.

In England from 1840 to 1855 attention was repeatedly called by the press and in Parliament to the condition of the London churchyards. The vaults under the floors of the churches and the small spaces of open ground surrounding them were literally crammed with coffins and were in consequence a direct menace to health. In all the other large towns the evil was prevalent in a greater or less degree, but in London, on account of the vast population and the consequent mortality, it was more forcibly brought to public attention. After several measures of partial relief the churchyards were closed by Act of Parliament in 1855 and the cemeteries, which now occupy large areas, became the burying places of London.

Several had already been established by private enterprise, Kensal Green, for example, dates from 1832, but the Act of 1855 marks the date of the general development of cemeteries in Great Britain.

Many of the churchyards of rural England are places of quiet and solemn beauty, of contemplative peace; in one such God's Acre was written Grey's majestic Elegy.

Beneath those rugged elms that yew tree's shade
Where heaves the turf in many a moldering heap
Each in his narrow cell forever laid
The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep

Wolfe, the mighty soldier who scaled the heights of Abraham, found inspiration and solace in this poem. You will recollect that as he began his great adventure to storm the frowning cliffs he quietly recited the lines:

The boast of heraldy the pomp of power
And all that beauty all that wealth e'er gave
Awaits alike the inevitable hour
The paths of glory lead but to the grave

In June last I visited several of these English churchyards. Among others, one at Coniston in the Lake District, a churchyard of soft rains and sunshine, of green grass and white flowers, with the grey old church standing sentinel over all, and nearby the quiet sunlit waters of Coniston Lake. Here among the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleeps one of the mighty dead-John Ruskin, the apostle of beauty. Here, too, as all over England, are the pathetic graves of boys who died in England of wounds or of exposure or sickness contracted on foreign service.

The moral of Ruskin's teaching that a living art requires truth, nature, purity and earnestness has now become the axiom of all aesthetic work and judgment. If we all in our respective works would but abide by his teaching a fairer and more beautiful world would be at hand.

On this continent the cemeteries have developed in two ways, from the old time forlorn burying ground with its shapeless, ill-kept roads, grassless mounds and jumble of badly designed monuments, these latter often of slate, first to the beauty spots of today, such as may be found in many Canadian cities and towns; secondly, to the carefully tended, but artificial and monotonous cemeteries, on that ground of vegetation and cheerless to behold. Our aim should be to make our cemeteries in Canada places meet for the dead dowered with all the beauty art and thought can give.

To turn now to the question of the location of the cemetery, we can be guided in this by certain general considerations. A cemetery not laid out as a park is naturally considered a detriment to a residential district. A recent case in Toronto illustrates that even tombstones on a lawn may be seriously objected to and I will read the report of it from the Ottawa Citizen of August 8th:

"Tombstones are all right in the right place, but next door to a doctor they have their drawbacks.” This was the substance of a judgment issued this afternoon by Magistrate Ellis in refusing to fine Joseph Steiner, charged with offering tombstones for sale in a restricted area.
The city solicitor's department produced a photograph showing at least six tombstones on the front lawn of Steiner's home, but so many people thought that someone was buried there that he put up more stones. A doctor and a next-door neighbor to the defendant told the court that the tombstones had caused a tremendous amount of trouble and expense to the district.
“It has brought an onerous state of affairs upon the professional men of the district” stated the neighbor.
“We have to sleep with one eye upon this, gentlemen and it is a serious handicap to professional life. It is no pleasant reminder for people of sixty or seventy years of age to see this group of stones on the front lawn.”

Magistrate Ellis ordered the stones removed.

A cemetery site should be selected sufficiently far from the city to free it from this reproach, at the same time it must be easily reached by good roads and by systems of transport. We must consider the site in its general relation to the city and especially to the more thickly populated parts and take note also of the trend of growth of the cities population. A cemetery should be an improvement to a district, it should not occupy land that by the presence of railway facilities is likely to develop into an industrial or warehouse district nor should it abut on a water front if the latter is in the line of commercial development. This would be an economic waste from an industrial point of view as well as the wrong place for a cemetery.

The extent of ground required by a cemetery may seriously complicate the future street system of a city. I understand that the Hamilton Cemetery, although beautifully situated, occupies a strategic position on the narrow neck of land which provides the high level access to the city from the north. It is much to be desired that in choosing a new location for the extension of the cemetery area in Hamilton, consideration will be given to the desirability of fitting it in as part of the comprehensive plan of the city. The cemetery must be planned to interfere as little as possible with existing thoroughfares or with those that may later be required. Gently rolling land should, if possible, be selected. This is mowed easily; drained and naturally affords better opportunities for artistic treatment than flat land. The soil should be suitable for plant growth, be well drained and easily excavated.

All these points are elementary so far as the members of this Association are concerned. It is nevertheless true that they are frequently lost sight of where sites are purchased. Less important local considerations are allowed to prevail in the selection of land for the public purposes. When the site has been selected the first need is for a correct topographical plan showing all the natural features, the grades and the existing trees. The more accurate and complete this plan is the better will our work of planning be. In the plans for new developments in our cities in the plans for parks the "gridiron" system has been discarded. The same is true of the newer cemeteries. Here we have pleasantly curving roads following the contours of the ground, these roads being no wider than is necessary for traffic.

As in a park there will be main roads and secondary roads. They should all, however, be designed in the nature of private drives and not as public thoroughfares. Part of the cemetery should be laid out as a permanent lawn not used for burial purposes, a wide sweeping lawn shaded by trees and with perennial flowers and vines; the whole effect indeed of the cemetery should be park-like and to this end unceasing care is necessary. At the entrance and for a limited distance a formal treatment may be adopted, but beyond this the sylvan atmosphere should predominate.

This short paper would not be complete without a reference to monuments. Now, it is a question if ornate monuments have not frequently been erected because it was the custom. If in parts of the cemetery the tribute to the dead consisted of a small tablet of stone or bronze beautifully designed and laid almost flush with the grave would this not be better than the jumble of monuments we so often see and would not the whole appearance of the cemetery be thereby improved. In parts of the cemetery where headstones may be desired there might be a certain formality to give them scale and to provide an adequate setting. The monuments to public men also offer an opportunity for a somewhat formal treatment.

In the old churchyards, unused as burying places, for a century or more the headstones have harmonized with nature's background. The proximity of the church saves them from complete inconsequence and lends to them, indeed, something of its graciousness and charm. Our cemeteries, however, generally lack buildings of any size; to correct this could we not build a wide cloistered court, adding thereby dignity to the too often isolated chapel? On the walls of this court inscriptions and tablets could be placed. Might not such a cloister, filled with flowers be a worthy remembrance of those soldiers of the neighborhood who fell in battle that our lives and walks and quiet ways should be unmolested?

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 34th Annual Convention held at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
September 7, 8, 9 and 10, 1920

Very few people realize the problems of road building and maintenance that the cemetery superintendent is called upon to solve. Traffic in a cemetery is different from that in any other location. It is usually thought that such traffic is light. It is not. It is infrequent, in that sense of light, but the loads that pass over the roads are heavy loads, monuments, shafts, and other materials of construction that tax the strength of the strongest road binders, and this traffic is certainly not light. Such a condition obtains nowhere else. And these roads that must sustain concentrated loads carried on steel tires must also be suited to the artistic surroundings of a cemetery. In addition the question of cost enters into the problem, more today than ever before, and the drives must be of such character that they can be economically built, and easily and cheaply maintained.

So, the question is, what kind of road is artistic, low in both first cost and in maintenance, and capable of carrying all the year round not only the usual funeral cortege, but also the extremely heavy trucks and their burdens of stone?

The war taught one thing in regard to highway construction that the world was glad to hear and that was that a well built macadam road will carry any load that can be hauled; that a well-built macadam will last if it is surface-treated with refined tar; and t ha t a tar bound macadam is a road capable of bearing any load, and at the same time dustless and mudless and enduring.

But not all cemeteries are wealthy enough to have tar-bound macadam, or, in fact, plain water-bound macadam. They may have gravel roads that are serving their purpose fairly well except for the fact that they wear excessively and are dusty. What can be done with these? Later on we shall see.

It goes without saying that drives paved with brick, stone block, sheet asphalt, asphalt block, wood block, or concrete would be incongruous in a cemetery. A visitor expects to see a road that resembles macadam, and the picture is spoiled if any other kind meets his eye. And although he wants macadam he does not want the dust and dirt that is ordinarily associated with a water-bound broken stone road. Like every other form of building, a road must be constructed of first class materials in a first class manner if first class results are expected. I will briefly set forth here the basic principles of road construction where tar macadam is the road to be built.

First of all be sure the location is right. Then see to it that the subsoil is well drained. Lead subsurface water away from the location and by means of suitable pipes ditches, or other means keep the water away from the road. Faulty drainage is responsible for more failures than any other cause. Next, select with care the stone that is to be used. Poor stone is poor economy; 90 percent of the road is stone, therefore choose wisely. A soft stone may be used for the base, but a medium to hard stone is essential for a good wearing course. A good grade of slag is an excellent road making material, but no vitrified slag should be allowed, as it cuts rubber tires badly, and never binds into the road.

While the binder that is incorporated into the road is only 10 percent or so of the wearing course, it is most important that only the best quality of refined tar be used, and that it be of the right consistency for the work. Only refined tar from a reliable manufacturer should be bought.

The sub-grade, that is, the ground on which the road is to be built, must be shaped to the same cross section as the finished road. A thorough rolling with a roller ten or more tons in weight is then given the sub grade, and on it the foundation course of stone is spread four or more inches deep. The stone in the base course is fairly large; if it is a broken stone base a 3½ inch stone is used and even larger if the stone is soft. Soft stone breaks up under the roller.

The base is filled with sand so that every nook and corner is full. Rolling is carried on while the filling is being done, and more sand is added from time to time as it finds its way into the voids between the stones. There must be no movement under the roller as it passes over the base. Rolling must be continued until this is accomplished.

Then 2 inch stone is spread to a depth of 3 inches and rolled. Always see that the roller man rolls from the sides toward the center, so as not to flatten out the crown. When the rolled stone is firm and does not move under the roller refined tar binder is applied at the rate of about 1½ gallons to the square yard. One of the large tar manufacturers sends the tar hot to the job in motor trucks if the cemetery is located near one of its many branches. From the motor truck it is distributed evenly on the stones.

Stone chips, about ¾ inch size, are spread over the freshly tarred surface and the road is rolled again. The excess chips are swept off, and the road is then ready for a seal coat of hot tar. After this is applied at the rate of ½ gallon to the square yard, the surface is covered with sand or chips or gravel, and rolled again to a finish.

Sixty days later a seal coat of tar should be applied, using a cold application material. It is the final cover of chips or gravel that determines the appearance of the pavement. A red granite chip cover gives a very attractive warm tone to the drive, while a blue stone or a white limestone cover may be applied so as to look like a newly made water bound macadam. A pea gravel cover gives a pretty effect such as is obtained with no other material. For those who prefer a smooth finish, a sand cover is applied.

So much for the building of a new drive. But what is to become of existing macadam roads that are rapidly going to pieces? These may be saved, if they are in fair condition, by surface treating with refined tar of proper consistency. All holes must first be patched and the surface made as smooth as possible. If necessary, where the road is badly rutted or filled with pot holes, the surface must be scarified, rolled, and then treated. But in many cases a surface treatment is all that is required. The tar is applied at the rate of ½ gallon to the square yard on the well swept road. Then a suitable cover of stone chips is strewn over the treatment, and the road is ready for use.
Some old macadams are worn so thin that new stone must be added to make it worth the expense of surface treating. It is always best to secure the advice of someone who is an expert in such work. Responsible materials companies are always glad to furnish advice free on such matters.

But there are many cemeteries that have no broken stone roads, although they may have many yards of gravel roads and walks that used to give good service. They can still be made to stand up, even under modern traffic if they are treated with refined tar. It must be ever kept in mind, however, that all gravels are not adapted to treatment. The advice of a road builder who has had experience in treating and maintaining gravel roads should be sought before attempting to apply tar to gravel. Walks built of gravel often may be successfully surface treated so as to make them dustless and attractive, at little expense. These tar surface treatments preserve walks and drives from erosion and wear, and actually reduce the cost of maintenance.

Tar will not stick to mud, dirt, greasy surfaces, or wet stone or gravel. In treating an old road great care must be taken to thoroughly clean the surface so that all dust and dirt are removed, exposing the clean stone to the tar spray. If caked mud or other material is left on the road the tar that is sprayed over this area will peel off, leaving an unprotected surface that will develop into a hole. A little elbow grease will accomplish wonders.

Where new walks are to be built it will be found cheaper to build them like the New England tar walks than to construct them of cement concrete. Tar walks are attractive to the eye and easy on the feet. The method of construction is simple, and there is no expensive plant to be bought and maintained.

Tar bound drives and walks are durable and artistic. In addition they are inexpensive in first cost, and are maintained economically. Their use in so many cemeteries throughout the country is proof of their suitability.

A Member-What do you mean by "clean"?

Mr. John S. Crandell-So that the mosaic on the stone shows out; so that there is no loose dirt, dust, mud, or caked dirt, get that all off. Frequently, you will find that there has been dirt caked on there since the time of Adam; you have got to get that off. When you get your road thoroughly clean, then put on your tar and it will stay until it is worn out. Don't try to put on too heavy a coat of tar, either; that's just like painting a house; don't try to do it all in one coat, put on two or three, rather two thin coats than one thick one, and you will get better results, As I say, the maintenance cost will be very slight. For the patching, you can use this tarvia K. P. method. And I would advise you men who are using tarvia now, when you want to put on a paint coat after you get in your patches, that you get a big white wash brush and let your men use that to actually paint that surface, so that you get a thin coat and then put your screenings and sand on top. If a man goes out with a coal scuttle and tries to apply it out of that so as to make it thin he is not going to get a good piece of work, or a patch that is any good. Then don’t try to heat tarvia K. P. because that is not a safe process to heat tarvia K. P. in an open kettle; it has a solvent in it that generates a gas when it is being heated. It is made for cold work only; use it cold. Now, the service that can be given you by responsible companies should be taken advantage of. The company that I represent will send a man almost to the ends of the earth to advise with people who want to use the material. I was called from Chicago down to Montgomery, Alabama, two years ago about treating the camp roads down there, and it involved about 100,000 gallons of material-a very nice order. The roads were of gravel, well they weren’t really gravel, they called them gravel but it was really dirt and stone mixed up, and so I turned the order down. So, if your roads are not capable of treatment, the Barrett Company doesn't want to treat them and won’t sell you the material, but if they are capable of treatment, we are only too glad to advise you about them. Then, too, the truck distributors operate from many of your large cities, and they will give you excellent service. Now, as to prices, I can't give you at the present moment any cost price of the actual construction of a road. Any of the local men can give you costs of surface treating, but with the condition of the labor market the way it is, it is absolutely impossible now to say what any given road will cost. If there are any questions, I will be very glad to answer them.

A Member - Will a gravel road have to be scarified before being treated?

Mr. John S. Crandell-That all depends on the condition of the road. If the road is well shaped up, the gravel is firm and not dirty; it doesn’t need to be scarified. If there are holes in it, sometimes those, holes can be individually patched, first with a mixture of gravel and tarvia K. P. and then the surface, allowing time for those patched holes to dry up and putting the tarvia over the top; if not, you are going to have a soft patch which will take a long time to set up. But if the gravel is clean, well shaped, free from holes, don't scarify, because you will do more harm by scarifying such a road than good. Unless your surface is uneven, then, of course, by all means scarify, but be sure it is well rolled.

A Member - What are your present prices per gallon?

Mr. John S. Crandell-The present base price runs around ten cents a gallon I can't give you exact prices because they vary different territories with freight rates and distribution service. That rate I gave you there is in tank cars, f. o. b. factory. In barrels, it costs a good deal more because of the cost of the barrels, as you know. A second-hand barrel at the present time costs us at the plant on an average throughout the country from $1.40 to $1.50, say $1.50. Now, a barrel holds fifty gallons that's three cents a gallon we have to pay for the barrel. If you have a big enough job, it is much cheaper in tank cars, or if you have distributors within reaching distance of your cemeteries, you can have it put on by auto truck. Woodlawn Cemetery, in New York, has a number of tarvia roads, and they were put on by distributors. Are there any other questions?

A Member - Would you advise trees alongside of a road, like you showed in the picture-poplar trees?

Mr. John S. Crandell-I would not, but this man was in a hurry to move into his house and have it look like an old place, and so they planted poplar trees. Probably by the time they are full grown, the man would have moved out, decided he didn't want to live there any longer. I don't believe in planting trees as close as that to a road, anyway; there’s great danger of those trees gathering up moisture underneath that road, especially in New England and Wisconsin and Michigan, where you have heavy frosts, you are apt to have trouble from that source.

A Member - What effect would freezing have?

Mr. John S. Crandell-The freezing of any road is due to the fact that you haven't led the moisture away from the base. Sometimes it is impossible to lead the moisture away, but assuming that the base is frozen, the result will be that your road will heave. Up in Maine, they get a frost of five feet sometimes. Now, in probably 95 percent of the cases, that road will go back into place. Sometimes in the Spring you may have a crack or a break right in the middle. I saw a road like that up in Michigan two years ago, and I saw it again two months later; the frost had gone out of the ground and that road was back and there was nothing but a crack. I would clean out that crack so as to get it good and clean through there, and then pour it full of tar, hot tar, if possible. A concrete road will often heave and the heaves will not go back, they have to be chiseled.

A Member - How thick do you consider it necessary to make roads in a cold climate? We have miles of roads put down, and very often we have to do them over about every ten years at tremendous expense.

Mr. John S. Crandell-Under most circumstances we advocate a 4 inch crushed stone base and a 2½ inch wearing course making 6½ altogether.

A Member - In our climate, it won't stand it at all.

Mr. John S. Crandell-Well, I should say you need 16 inches of base, and a 2 inch top. I don't know whether you men know it, but the Pennsylvania Railroad some years ago conducted a series of experiments to find out how thick they ought to lay the ballast of the road. Probably you know that at the present time most railroad men consider 18 or 20 inches of ballast sufficient. The Pennsylvania found in order to avoid freezing and to get the best results, they ought to have 7 feet of ballast; of course, that's an economic impossibility. Sometimes what you ought to have as a base for your roads, you can't have for that reason, but I have an idea that for the average climate that's high enough. Of course, in a very severe climate, you have got to increase the depth and drain the sub-soil very well. Any other questions?

A Member - How will that truck work on a fifteen foot road?

Mr. John S. Crandell-Of course, it depends upon the truck; we have different trucks, but generally I would say, you would have to do that going one way, that is, up one side and back the other.

A Member - Won't you go over the center twice?

Mr. John C. Crandell-No the man stands on the back and he has a lever there, and he can control and shift his distributors so that he will not lap over; we have it so that they control it and it will not lap over once in a mile; we are getting good results with that.

A Member - Does the gravel have to be thoroughly dry?

Mr. John S. Crandell-No; it may be damp; in fact, some of the best treatments we have ever given have been over damp gravel, but it must not be wet. It may be damp. But that's a dangerous statement to make, too, because your foreman or the men who are going to do the work, perhaps what you would consider wet, he may consider damp. You had better go out yourself and see to it that it is really only damp.

A Member - We have some water-bound macadam spiked together, in good condition, no bad ruts or dust, and we want to change that into tarvia. Would you suggest this method?

Mr. John S. Crandell-Yes, I would say in that case, without seeing the road, of course. Are there any holes in it?

A Member-No, it is in good condition.

Mr. John S. Crandell-I would put, I think, half a gallon of tarvia B to the square yard, and then let that sink in, say, twenty-four hours before I covered it, and then, what sort of a surface do you want on the top?

A Member - We want to get away from the tar effect.

Mr. John S. Crandell-Well, then you can get ¾ inch slag chips and then I would cover it with that, and then the next year, come along with about ⅛ of a gallon or ¼ of a gallon, and give it one more treatment; that will probably put it in fine condition. Another gentleman wants to know if any crown can be given to the road. We have figured that out too, somewhat. If your road is going to be rough or a rough surface you can use a bigger crown than you do when it is smooth, but you want a very slight crown if it is smooth because some of you will not have money enough to treat your roads year after year, and they will wear smooth to some extent, anyhow. Then, too, if you get horses on any road that is highly crowned, they will slip much more readily. Just the amount of crown in any given case, I would not be prepared to say without knowing all the conditions, but generally speaking make a very slight crown. Are there any other questions? If not, I thank you very much.

From the publication:
“AACS - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Convention held at Cincinnati, OH"
September 24, 25 and 26, 1919

When your Secretary asked me to prepare a paper for your convention, I was in doubt as to the propriety of my doing so, knowing that I could not speak to you from the standpoint of one who has had a practical experience in your work in its relation to the modern cemetery. However, when he assured me that a few notes on any kindred subject would be acceptable, I thought it might be well to embrace the opportunity of calling the attention of your members to the importance of tree planting in streets and waysides. This is a subject that concerns all, while the influence which your body is able to wield in the direction of street ornamentation is very great. Without doubt each and every member of your Association is connected, either directly or indirectly with the planting and care of public trees, and recognizes the desirability of encouraging an interest in the prosecution of this work.

Recognition of the value of trees as an adornment to streets in this country dates from an early period.

In Mr. Albert Matthews’ intensely interesting address on the history of the trees of Boston Common, delivered last year before the Boston Common Society, we find that as early as March 3, 1655, interest was manifested in the preservation of trees. At a Town Meeting, held that day, an order was passed, "That whosoever shall cut, hack, or hew any of the trees planted in the Neck, shall pay for every tree so spoiled twenty shillings, the one-half to the informer, the other to the town."

On May 12, 1701, a by-law was passed, that "no person shall lop, peel, girdle, or deface any of the trees now standing or that shall hereafter be planted or set by order of the Selectmen, or by their approbation, upon any part of or place in the common ground of the town, under penalty for every such offense."

Although not so stated, it is presumable that there were public trees; but, whether or not, the order reveals to us the fact that the early pioneers of Boston recognized the value of trees as an adornment to the town and the necessity of their preservation.

In one respect we have not progressed much since that day, two hundred and forty-seven years ago; twenty-five years after the first settlement was made. We have with us today, as the early founders of Boston had, in 1655, those who "cut, hack, or otherwise ‘spoil’" trees; and it is to be feared that their numbers have increased since the days when the Puritans made the order. We have, also in goodly numbers, the small boy, with his ever ready pocket knife, to whom the smooth stem of a tree is a sore temptation---a temptation as irresistible as was the cherry tree to George Washington in his boyhood days.

Then too the trees on the curb of every street bear ghastly evidence of the gnawing of generations of unhitched horses; indeed, it is not an uncommon thing to find hitching rings driven into fine old trees. In addition to the despoilers of trees of "ye olden time," we have the modern gas companies and the City Sewerage and Water departments whose employees, seldom giving thought to the destruction they are working, cut off more roots from our street trees than would be necessary were the work done under intelligent direction.

To counterbalance, as it were, the lopping off of the roots under the surface, we have the cutting and slashing of the branches; by employees of the various corporations whose business requires the use of overhead wires, leaving ugly gashes, like the path of a tornado, on the lines of their wires.

Trees may be ranked among the noblest products of nature, and their adaptability for beautifying and shading streets is a great boon to city dwellers, and one that is not appreciated to the full: else why should such mutilation be perpetrated, or why should it be permitted by those in authority, whose duty it is to protect the interests of the public? Ignorance of trees and their requirements undoubtedly has much to do with it. Carelessness, thoughtlessness and the fierce fight for gain are among the causes which despoil our trees, and when we consider that, in addition to this danger from the hand of man, there are still to be added the ravages of insects and lower organisms, the wonder is that so many beautiful trees are to be found in our streets.

It has often been a source of amazement to me how so large a number of cultured people could seemingly be of one mind in the exclusion, almost, of trees from fine residential streets, resulting, as it does, in such inhospitable barrenness. Beacon, Marlboro and Newbury streets, in the Back Bay district of Boston, are cases in point. To pass through these streets in summer, unrelieved by the shade of trees, the sun baked walls reflecting the heat absorbed by the asphalt, one ceases to wonder that the houses on either side are deserted. In the fitness of things it seems proper that from such conditions, people should flee, seeking the shade and comfort denied them at home---denied because of their own careless neglect of the advantages they might secure by planting trees in their streets. It may be, however, that the summer hegira from this district has something to do with the lack of tree planting: not being present during the heat of summer the great need of shade is not observed. Yet it is not only in summer that trees are attractive: in spring the swelling buds give added charm to the delicate spray-like effect of the branches that is so beautiful in winter; and at all seasons trees lend a softness to the hard architectural lines of the houses. This treeless condition should not be. There is no reason why these streets and wide sidewalks may not be embowered in trees, and thus relieve much of the Back Bay from its dreary, un-home like appearance.

It is to be regretted that in laying out new streets, the tendency of the day is toward the narrowing of the sidewalks and the omission of any provision of a tree planting space. Boston and its suburbs are suffering from this evil, which portends badly for the beauty of its streets in the future. The absence of provision for planting will quickly relegate such streets to squalor and obscurity.

Considering too what a large amount is expended, every year, in the United States for schoolhouses, it is sad to think that so little attention is given to the school yards. How many of them are bare and uninviting, when a small expenditure of money would plant and maintain shade trees, at least around their borders! No better opportunity could be offered to the school children, to know and learn to love trees, than by their close association with them at school. The trees could be of as many different species as space might permit, thereby extending, as much as possible, the variety of trees at the command of the teacher for her demonstrations of their different values and uses and of their relationships and their beauties.

The early public records demonstrate the fact that the Puritan Fathers in the midst of their strenuous life, had in mind the beautifying of their surroundings, by the planting of trees and that they ordered, through their selectmen, that trees should be planted by the town. Quoting again from Mr. Matthews' address: "On February 11, 1711-1712, it was voted by the selectmen that a convenient number of trees be provided to plant on the sides of each burying place where it shall be thought proper."

That the early settlers of New England transmitted their love for trees to subsequent generations, the magnificent elms to be found in the streets of our New England towns, give evidence.

The New England elms are noted, far and wide; the charm they add to the wayside is beyond price. Is it not important, then, that every effort should be made to encourage the growth of and to protect, all wayside trees?

Washington's trees, as an attraction to the city, divide honors with its best architectural features; not because of the individual beauty of the trees as fine specimens, but because of their value as a whole in the adornment of the city. This results from an intelligent control of the planting and care of the trees, the work having been placed in the hands of competent commissioners, among whom have been numbered John Saul, William Saunders, and William R. Smith, the only survivor. The results accomplished in Washington are just as attainable in any community; all that is necessary is wise legislation and the education of the people to the importance of the subject.

Great interest is now being manifested throughout the country in the preservation of objects of natural beauty, in the regulation of the billboard nuisance, which everywhere disfigures the landscape and in the general improvement of towns and cities along aesthetic lines. This
betokens a general public awakening to the importance of civic beauty.

Societies having these objects in view are being organized in every direction. We are glad to note that a large share of the attention of these societies is devoted to the planting and preservation of trees. These influences, properly directed, cannot but have a good effect in the furthering of the work of making the city (and the country also) beautiful. The members of your association can be of great service in promoting the work of these societies by giving freely of their practical knowledge of true culture and gardening.

Laws, making it obligatory on the part of towns to elect tree wardens, who shall have the care and control of all public trees, except those already in charge of park commissioners, have been enacted in Massachusetts, while in various cities throughout the country, laws and ordinances have been framed looking to the care and planting of trees in the public streets and highways.

The Massachusetts statute is mandatory with regard to the appointment of a warden and the scope of his power. The provision for furnishing funds; for planting and care is permissive which will largely induce negative results. The idea, however, is sound and when certain of its defects have been remedied and the knowledge of tree culture increased," its influence on civic beauty will be very powerful.

The simple passage of a tree warden law does not alone insure that there will be protection; that trees suitable in kind will be planted; or that their requirements shall be furnished to them. Let it be a popular service to see that competent wardens are elected, and that their duties are faithfully performed. Laws and ordinances are of little avail unless supported, in their execution, by the hearty cooperation of the public. The requirements of these trees are simple: good soil, and protection from the vandal hand, is all that is necessary for favorable results. But money must be provided to pay for these, as well as to meet the expense of pruning and fertilizing; also to combat with the ravages of insects, which infest trees in towns and cities-----a consequence of the disturbance of Nature's balance, resulting from the banishment or destruction of insect-eating birds.

Tree planting and improvement associations have done much to advance the cause of tree planting in public streets. The Brooklyn Tree Planting Association recommends the cooperative plan. Under this plan competent foresters may be consulted or engaged and trees may be bought, and the ground prepared for planting more cheaply than could be done by individual effort. Associations of this character, however, are difficult to organize. Not everyone possesses enthusiasm enough to enter into the work of planting young trees. The results seem too distant, and planting for posterity appears, to many people, too great a self sacrifice.

In the absence of competent civic control of tree planting, the cooperative plan, or any other plan looking to the planting of trees in the streets, should be adopted by every citizen who has the interests of his city at heart. No excuse can be offered for the absence of trees on every suitable street and on every roadside. The matter is easily within the power of each municipality to correct.

What to plant for street trees? And how to plant them are important questions, on the answers to which depend much of the success in planting for street embellishment.

Of trees suitable we have an abundance from which to choose. I will enumerate a few that I consider most fitted for the purpose:

First, and foremost, comes the American elm, a grand tree of vigorous growth. It must have room to develop and a rich soil, fairly moist. A good tree for city streets and without an equal for wayside planting.

The European elm (Ulmus campestris) is a noble tree. It has not the graceful, pendulous habit of the American elm, yet it possesses; in its columnar trunk, a stately grandeur scarcely equaled by any other tree. It thrives well under adverse conditions. As a sidewalk tree it has many valuable qualities, conspicuous among which is the persistency of its rich, green leaves, lasting as they do until late in the autumn. In some seasons its summer growth does not become sufficiently ripened to stand the winters in this latitude; yet this trouble is not so serious as to prevent its use for any situation where shade trees can be grown. It loves good soil.

The horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is a tree from Europe. It grows very freely and gives dense shade and is a popular favorite on account of the beauty of its flowers in the early summer. Its foliage ripens and falls early in the autumn. It is a suitable tree for city streets.

The soft maple (Acer dasycarpum) is a fine tree for wide streets or waysides, where good soil is abundant. It requires space and sunlight to get the best results. It is reputed to be ea lily injured by storms on account of weakness of fiber; this occurs only when it is grown under crowded conditions.

The American ash (Fraxinus Americana) is an adaptable tree. It grows fairly well as a sidewalk tree, but it is not so desirable as many others, on account of the late leaving out and early ripening of its foliage. On poor soil, and in dry localities, it is apt to be attacked by borers and the scale insect. In rich soil, its growth is rapid, producing a picturesque tree.

The buttonwood, or sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), is a lofty, quick growing tree, but not to be recommended for planting in this district, on account of its liability to be infested with fungi, which blackens the leaves. Its near relation, the oriental sycamore, resembles it greatly in appearance, although a little more compact. This species is much valued south of this latitude.

The maiden tree (Ginkgo biloba) is from Japan. This tree has not been used as a street tree, to my knowledge, except in Washington, where two streets are planted with it and where it has proved most satisfactory. In good soil it grows rapidly and it seems to have no insect enemies. It forms a handsome avenue, as can be seen on the Agricultural Building grounds in Washington, or on Pierce Street, where the planting before mentioned has been done. Boston and vicinity probably is the northern limit of its hardiness, or rather, I should say, of its free growth. Fine trees of this species can be seen in the Public Garden and at Mount Auburn Cemetery.

The hard or Sugar Maple (Acer saccharinum) does not make a good city tree. It is impatient of rough treatment; paved sidewalks and paved streets are fatal to it. It is, however, a good tree for suburban conditions, or for a country wayside tree. It is one of the handsomest of our North American trees. This tree will adapt itself to a thin soil.

The Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) is an introduction from Central Europe. It forms a rather wide spreading, handsome top, with a wealth of large leaves, forming a dense shade. It thrives fairly well as a city sidewalk tree, but on account of its width of spread, it is only suitable for wide streets. As a wayside tree it scarcely can be equaled.

The sycamore maple (Acer psuedo platanus) also from Europe is a wide spreading tree, with large, somewhat leathery leaves. It is a noble tree in its native habitat, but does not take kindly to the United States. It is subject to borers and is not to be recommended.

The American beech (Fagus ferruginea) is one of the most ornamental of American trees, but on account of its low branching habit in the open and its surface rooting propensity, it is not adapted for city planting. This tree loves too well the soft, leafy mulch of its native woods to bear transplanting to the heated sidewalks.

The silver poplar (Populus alba), introduced from Europe, is one of the best trees for hard conditions. In smoky, dusty and thickly populated localities, or in poor soil, it will exist and make a brave show. By many, it is esteemed an ugly tree. The poplar trees planted (I have been informed, by Strauch, the originator of the lawn treatment of cemeteries) in Cincinnati, however, would convince anyone to the contrary. Or without going further east than Boston, one could have found in Maverick Square, two fine specimens until two years ago, when they were removed to make way for the new tunnel entrance. This tree has a disagreeable habit of suckering.

The American Linden (Tilia Americana) also is a tree that will accommodate itself fairly well to street life, provided it is given good soil and protected from the tussock moth, to whom it seems to be a favorite food plant. As a wayside tree, it will grow well in thin and sterile soils and for such a purpose, is well adapted, being of quick growth and of handsome proportions.

The European (Tilia vulgaris), as its name indicates, is from Europe, and has a well deserved reputation as a fine shade tree. Planted in good soil, it will grow under very crowded conditions of street life. At South Boston it can be found growing in brick paved sidewalks and persistently putting forth leaves each spring, which are as persistently eaten off by the tussock moth caterpillar. It forms a tree of stately growth, holding its leaves well into the fall, while, in early summer, with its near relative, the American linden, its flowers charge the air with a delicious perfume.

The tree of Heaven (Ailanthus glandulosa). This is a tree of the tenements. No city conditions, be they ever so hard, seem to discourage its growth altogether. It can be found on Beacon Hill, in narrow courtyards, throwing up its handsome foliage to the housetops; and in many parts of Boston it can be found in corners by the stoop, thriving equally well. Apparently, it has not been used as a street tree in Boston, probably from the reputation which male flowers have of emitting a disagreeable odor. I have lived on Long Island, where the Ailanthus is naturalized, and where the finest street trees are of this kind, and I have never been able to detect any odor, unless I placed the flowers to my nostrils. In rich soils there might be kill-back in winter, from under-ripened wood; but, in poor soils, I feel sure, this trouble would not occur. I am confident that no mistake would be made in planting this tree where hard conditions exist.

The white willow (Salix alba), introduced from Europe, was, undoubtedly, a favorite with the early settlers, as fine trees are to be found throughout the coast of New England. The variety of Cerula is the one most suited, I think for street planting. It is not particular as to soil and if a little care is given to the training up of a leader, it forms a handsome tree. The willow does not lend itself to neat and precise, or formal, work. Its value as a street tree lies in its adaptability to adverse conditions, its early budding forth in spring, and in its holding its bright shining green leaves until late in the fall.

The tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is another good tree for suburban and wayside planting. It is impatient of restraint or hard usage, but under proper conditions, it is one of the finest trees of the forest.

The red oak (Quercus rubra) and the scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) are both grand shade trees for the streets in suburban districts, or for the wayside. The prevalent notion has been that these trees are of slow growth, which accounts for their not having been used for street planting. This idea is erroneous, especially as regards the red oak which I think will outstrip a hard maple in growth. On the Boston parkways, the red oak has been extensively planted for shade. The growth, since the trees became established, has averaged two feet, each season, and in some of them a growth of from four to six feet has been made in one season. The oak will not thrive under paved street and sidewalk conditions, but no better trees can be planted for roadsides, or even for suburban streets, than the red and scarlet oaks.

The pin oak (Quercus palustris) this oak is a very graceful tree in its young state. Its lower branches drop with a curved sweep to the ground consequently it should be planted only in such positions as will allow the lower branches to be retained. As a street tree, in ordinary locations, this cannot be done, and the most beautiful feature of the tree is thus lost. Without its lower branches, this oak is much inferior in appearance to the red or scarlet oak. It loves moisture, however, and may be utilized on low grounds.

The planting of street trees requires as much care as does their selection. It is not enough to merely dig a hole and crowd the roots into it. Any expectations based on such planting are doomed to end in disappointment. In laying out for street planting, let the first stakes be set at the street crossings. When the abutting streets also are to be planted; place two stakes at each corner, a bout thirty feet from the point of intersection of the curb line, on each street. Then space off the intervening distance, setting the stakes equally distant apart, but not less than sixty-five feet, as the shortest distance.

Trees generally are planted too thickly. Sometimes this is done with the intention of cutting out alternate ones, as the growth of the tree requires. This, however, is seldom done and the trees grow up too thickly, thereby overcrowding and injuring each other, destroying also the individual beauty of the trees and the symmetrical arrangement which an avenue of trees should have.

For sanitary and hygienic reasons, streets ought not to be too much shaded. The sun should be permitted to shine on the walks, and on the walls of the houses, in turn, as the earth moves in its course. Glimpses of light and shadow, too, have an aesthetic value, which is worth considering.

Sixty-five feet apart is the minimum distance apart, I think, at which street trees should be planted. For large growing trees as the elm or soft maple, seventy-five or one hundred feet apart would be none too much space to allow. Wayside or highway trees need not be set with the same precision as street trees. An irregular, planting; conforming, in general, to the surrounding scenery, would be in better harmony. In places, an accentuation of existing groups of trees may be all that is necessary, or simply a thinning out of overcrowding trees, or of poor trees which are damaging more valuable ones; for let it be an axiom with the tree planter who is planting for ornamental effects, never to permit the growth of one tree to injure that of another.

An important matter also in the care of trees is the pruning of all broken or diseased limbs or branches, by cutting the branches off at the next lateral below, and cutting the limbs off closely at the bole of the tree, leaving no stumps projecting which the bark cannot grow over to carry rot into the tree. Cut off smooth, and paint over the wound with coal tar.

If the soil is good, no preparation for planting is necessary, other than loosening up the ground for each tree for a space of from seven to ten feet in diameter and from two to three feet in depth. When the soil is poor, not less than ten yards of good soil should be substituted for an equal amount of poor soil excavated from the hole. The same loosening up of the ground should be made.

If planting is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well, for on this depends the well being of the tree. It is safe to say, if you have $20.00 to spend on planting a tree, let nineteen and a half dollars of the amount be spent on the preparation of the ground to receive it. It should be borne in mind that the same conditions which will produce a good hill of corn will grow trees well and nothing else, will serve.

In the planting of groups or masses of trees for ornamental or woodland effect, the soil should be plowed and subsoil plowed several times. The trees should be planted thickly, always remembering the old gardener's motto: "Plant thickly, but thin quickly." More trees are ruined from crowding than from any other cause. The plantation should be treated precisely as a good farmer would treat a crop of corn. Give clean cultivation. Thick planting gives the advantage of shelter, (each tree protects the other) and the further advantage of a greater number of trees from which to select the permanent ones. It also gives the effect of foliage mass the quicker.

These notes are written in the hope that they may help to intensify the interest now manifested in the planting and protection of public trees. The subject is of such importance as to merit the earnest attention of all.

The insect question I have not touched upon. This, however, is so exhaustively covered by our Entomologists that no one need work in the dark, for want of knowledge of how to exterminate insect pests, or at least to hold them in check.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the16th Annual Convention
Held at Boston, MA
August 19, 20, 21 and 22, 1902

When I agreed to write a short paper on road construction it seemed to me to be a simple matter, but I assure you if I had agreed to build a mile of sample road I should feel that I could accomplish my task in a much more satisfactory manner.

The fact is, the superintendent of a cemetery is a man selected usually because of his qualifications as a proper man for the position, and in almost every case I have found that he possesses more or less natural ability in landscape architecture, and his common sense tells him how a piece of ground should be laid out to give the best results and make it most attractive, as well as profitable to the corporation which he represents.

An avenue in a cemetery should be considered as a public highway, in many respects, although a topographical survey would show that it would be inexpedient to run the lines and grades through a cemetery and make the cuts and fills to match, as we would in a public highway. The piece of ground selected for a cemetery usually possesses natural beauty, and the avenues should be laid out giving proper curves and in such a way as to preserve the natural scenery. For instance, a large tree or boulder coming almost exactly in the line of what might be termed by an engineer, a straight line for an avenue would probably be cut down by him and the boulder removed, but the ordinary cemetery superintendent would say that a graceful curve in the avenue would make it much more attractive and certainly add to what nature had already provided.

Keeping these facts in mind, the surface of an avenue should be built even more carefully than the ordinary road, for the avenue is subjected to all sorts of changes and conditions. For instance the heavy monuments are hauled over it and the foundation should be sufficient to bear up such loads without becoming rutted. The finished grade should be of such a nature that it will be dry at all times of the year because people visiting the cemetery are obliged to walk upon the avenues and the surface should be of the finest and best crushed stone, screened out in proper sizes and properly wet and rolled to cement it together to make the surface smooth and hard and show no inclination to become muddy under any conditions.

The drainage of an avenue is not of so much importance as the drainage of a public street. There can be located along the borders at the side of the avenue properly constructed dry wells built of loose stone to soak up the surface water if there is no better system of drainage and these in almost every case would prove satisfactory.

If I were to describe the construction of a public highway I should say that the drainage question was the first one to be considered, but a cemetery avenue, with from four to six inches of broken stone on a good gravel foundation for a wearing surface, will never be wet or unsatisfactory.

I remember well that it was once stated by one of the originators of this association that the parks and cemeteries should take the lead in all landscape work and this statement, while being made some twenty years ago, has always impressed itself upon my mind as being of great importance. A person visiting a cemetery ordinarily expects to find the most beautiful conditions surrounding it and there is nothing more unattractive than a soft sandy avenue, or one that is muddy when the frost is coming out of the ground. Such conditions many times deprive people of the pleasure of driving to a cemetery and they cannot feel that it is a place of beauty or that it is well kept. The grass and trees, of course, change with the seasons, but an avenue should never change under any conditions. The best work is the cheapest in the end. If the cemetery is laid out with the idea that it is to be used year after year it is certainly much cheaper to build the avenues properly in the first place than it is to undertake to half do the work and then after a few years tear them up and rebuild them. Such a state of affairs is unsatisfactory not only to the superintendent, but to the lot owners as well.

If I were to construct an avenue in a cemetery, I should first put four inches of broken stone on a good gravel foundation. This foundation should be thoroughly rolled and shaped to conform to the topography of the ground and finished and rolled as correctly and carefully as if it were the surface of the avenue. If four inches of broken stone (the size which would pass through a two inch hole in a screen) is placed upon this foundation; it should be wet and rolled properly. The stone that passes through the inch hole in the screen should be added next, putting on about two inches before it is rolled. The avenue should then be fil1ished with the dust from the crusher, making in all six inches of stone after it has been thoroughly rolled. An avenue built in this way will stand any amount of heavy traffic and always be satisfactory.

The State has spent an immense amount of money on the park driveways around the city of Boston and at the present day they are equal to any in the state, but I am sorry to say that many of the cemeteries, in fact, most of the cemeteries around Boston are not up to the standard set by the State in this respect.

Large amounts have been appropriated by the different States for building State highways. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts have perhaps taken hold of the question with more interest than the other States in the Union and I believe Massachusetts has spent more money and built more miles of road than any other state, and it has been demonstrated beyond a doubt, that every mile of road built has been of great benefit to the people using it and largely increased the valuation.

These roads have cost a large amount of money, but I believe it has been money wisely spent, for they serve as object lessons to every city and town through which they pass and today almost every town, no matter how small, has a stone crusher and a steam roller of its own. Every town should own its own plant if it has the proper stone at hand; if not the machinery is useless. Broken stone can be brought on the cars and delivered so near to the work and at such a small difference in cost that it is much better to buy the proper material than to undertake to use stone of an inferior quality. Great care should be taken in all cases to select the proper stone. A stone should be hard and tough and contain enough of the cementing qualities to make it bind. A stone may be hard and yet not contain the cementing or binding qualities and such a stone can never be rolled enough to make it bind, without adding some binding material.

The cost of building an avenue or road is hard to determine in such a way that it will cover all conditions. The expense of stone and hauling varies in different localities, but by careful study it has been found that ten cents for every inch in thickness per square yard is a safe estimate. This will furnish the stone, place it on the road and pay all the expense of rolling and watering the same and finishing it properly.

In some cases it can be done for seven or eight cents. On the basis of ten cents, if four inches of stone were used it would cost forty cents and if six inches were used-sixty cents and so on.

As has been stated, the time will come, without doubt, when every public drive will be arranged for the utmost pleasure of those who use it. It will be planned to take advantage of all outlooks over landscapes and it will thus come about that no educator will be more, efficient than our common roads in teaching refinement and inculcating a love of the beautiful.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the16th Annual Convention
Held at Boston, MA
August 19, 20, 21 and 22, 1902

From the time when people began to form general graveyards or burial places until the last century was well on its way, but little change or improvement in the management of such places was made; the dead were buried; the rich in the churches and the poor in the ground immediately surrounding. In the new world, either from the determination to break away from the ritualistic observances of the Fatherland or from force of circumstances, the idea of forming cemeteries either public or private was generally adopted.

If we escape for a few days or a few weeks it may be from the rush and turmoil of business and take the opportunity of visiting an old country or village church yard, we will find that within the area of a few acres are gathered the remains of all who have lived and died in that village for near upon 1,000 years. Could we have seen it several centuries ago, upon an ordinary day, we would have seen it in much the same condition as we would see it at the present day. Could we have seen it upon a feast day, we might have seen the sacred precincts occupied by the necromancer and the mountebank and crowded by the holiday makers. The ancient grave yards were invariably the property of the parish; and under control of the church. While the names of the more wealthy inhabitants were perpetuated by means of monuments and mural tablets; the graves of the common people received but scant attention. Sexton succeeded sexton; in course of time grave mounds became leveled; time is a wonderful leveler; the same ground was used over and over again and often in opening of new graves, the remains of previous occupants were exhumed. Both in the rural and urban districts until the last few years a total lack of sentiment prevailed with regard to the handling of these unfortunate remains; they were carelessly exposed to public gaze and freely handled, by the curious. In short, the general aspect of burial grounds on both sides the Atlantic was one of neglect.

The following extract from colonial times on Buzzard Bay will give us an idea of cemetery management in the days of the New England colonies. "The Rev. Rowland Cotton had the privilege of pasturing his horse in Sandwich burial ground on condition that he fenced it around." This privilege, says the narrator, is not to be considered as an indication of poverty for a burial ground was in colonial times a favorite browsing ground for the minister's horse. A Plymouth town meeting in the year 1788, requested the Rev. Chandler Robbins not to keep more horses in burial hill cemetery than was absolutely necessary, owing to the damage done to gravestones.

I think you will agree with me that cemetery reform, as cemetery reform is generally understood, is still in its infancy. While there are in the country a number of cemeteries beautifully arranged and in excellent order, we need not look far back in history nor far away in distance, to find numerous cemeteries in a state of extreme disorder and neglect. We need not travel far from Boston to find cemeteries to which even at this late day, the word desecrated would be far more applicable than would than the word consecrated.

There did exist, less than six years ago, upon the highway between Fall River and Newport, just over the line, as we Massachusetts people say, an old family burial ground which at that time was doing service as a poultry yard. About ten years ago, the president of a .local improvement association, when describing the condition of things, expressed his surprise that the snouts of the hogs, and the hoofs of the cows had not turned up the bones of the last surviving pilgrim of the Mayflower. I am happy to say that the grave of said pilgrim is now under the control of the improvement association, and I hope the time is not far distant when an appropriate monument will mark the spot. These are not the only cases where the graves of the sturdy pioneers of this progressive nation are treated in a manner sacrilegious.

When we compare the state of the crowded, uncared for cemeteries of our fathers with that of the latest production of the landscape artist, and contemplate the rapidity of the transition from the one to the other, we are inclined to reiterate the remark made by a member of this association, I think it was at Cleveland, “that there may be a danger of us riding our hobby too far or too fast.” And here I would say, that if in the course of my paper, I have made use of remarks made by my predecessors, I beg to assure the author thereof that it is only because the lessons they teach us are too useful to allow of an opportunity to impress them upon our minds being lost.

In cemetery improvement, as in everything else the American undertakes, he must move rapidly and go pretty well to the extreme. Without making any attempt to review the history of cemetery improvement, we may take note of a few facts; a few landmarks; which more nearly concern the superintendent of the present day. We cannot charge to the account of the superintendent all of the extremes we encounter in cemeteries; it is a great pity, for he has to stand almost everything.

No matter how highly or how lightly our departed friends have been esteemed by us, no matter what conscience may say of duty towards them done or undone during life, we are prompted to embellish their last resting place in a manner not only incompatible with our means, but also in a manner totally out of order with the surroundings, and to the detriment of the general appearance of the immediate neighborhood. The days of go-as-you-please in things permanent are passed; in things of less importance, floral decorations, elaborate funerals, etc., fashions will ebb and flow. What was intended as a day for memorial services, and for the decoration of the graves of deceased soldiers, has developed into a day for the most elaborate and extravagant decoration of the cemetery generally. It is well where these adornments do not assume a more permanent character. There is a custom at present prevailing of planting an iron emblem upon the grave of every deceased comrade, brother, or associate. I find the grave of one man decorated with the S. of the G. A. R., the U. S. N. of the naval association, and the shield of the veteran association. It is possible for a man to have in addition, the honor of having been policeman, fireman, Odd Fellow and other things too numerous to mention. Happy is the man who aspires to so many honors, but woe to the superintendent who has charge of his grave. The superintendent is often severely tried by the accumulation of superfluous flower holders. I once counted upon one small lot thirteen pieces of table ware and discarded ornaments, which had been placed there from time to time by loving hands for the purpose of holding flowers. Time and frost deal kindly with us in regard to these things; more kindly than with the iron emblems just spoken of.

Perhaps the easiest part of my paper is that in which I have endeavored to point out the ideas, the wary ideas of course, of those outside the pale of the brotherhood. Among so many hundreds of lot holders, gardeners, and monument makers as we have to deal with, it would be strange if we did not find a number of persons more or less capricious. And I venture to say, that neither the profession nor the experience of a cemetery superintendent is a guarantee, that he is entirely without caprice; and we might with profit apply to ourselves the words of the Scotch poet, "Oh, wad some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us." The ideas of a lot holder affect one lot; the ideas of the superintendent affect the cemetery and we hope influence a community. It is therefore a serious matter when the caprices of a cemetery are concentrated in the superintendent.

In forming a new cemetery or in reforming or improving an old one, by in one case keeping out all superfluous granite, or other inappropriate ornamentation, and in the other case, wherever practicable, securing the removal of these blots and maintaining a uniform grade, the superintendent does well, if in his enthusiasm he does not forget that the first essentials of a cemetery are not those of a park but pertain to the suitable disposition of the dead.

It is indisputably necessary in the interests of the public, that even in the time of our bereavement, in the extremity of our sorrow, the impassive hand of authority make itself evident. And the lot holder must realize that he is a member of a corporate body; and that he has laid his loved ones where many others have also laid theirs, and that the appropriate planting, along with the general treatment of the surroundings insisted upon by the cemetery authorities, contribute to the serene and peaceful aspect of the graves of his loved ones, and that he in turn must yield to the necessities of the situation. The promiscuous planting and adornment of individual lots must be kindly, but firmly, ruled out. This is a rule in which lot holders readily acquiesce; but when this is followed by other rules, by virtue of which all bounds or other marks indicative of personal or family possession are obliterated, mounds leveled or prohibited, the erection of headstones and monuments prohibited unless the style and quality of them meet with the approval of the cemetery authorities, and of other rules of similarly restricting character, until the whole atmosphere of the cemetery is permeated by a feeling of restriction, we are in danger of fanning into flame the spark of rebellion which may at this time be dormant in the minds of the lot holders. When a person has as he considers and sometimes expresses it, bought and paid for a piece of land, he has a sense of ownership; which does not so easily accommodate itself to the views of the superintendent and officials; a sense of individuality which does not readily give place to that of membership in the community. I have known people to be greatly shocked upon visiting the grave of a friend and finding the mound removed. The mound may be of little use and an impediment at the time of mowing, but the removal or the prohibition of it sometimes gives a pang to the heart of a sorrowing friend. We do not want to see our work tarnish for want of polish or of push, yet we may not ignore the fact that in making his improvements, and in developing his ideas, the superintendent is working in the interests of the community. As the law regards it, when a person is buried he is buried for all time. The cemetery superintendent, above all men works for posterity and should always be upon his guard lest professional zeal run counter to public interests. "From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but one step."

In the elaboration of the lawn plan lies perhaps the chief danger of our having too much of a good thing; cut we must remember in this as in all other reforms and improvements, that so far as the pendulum of the clock swings one way, just so far as it will swing the other and the further to the extreme we push our changes and improvements, the more severe will be the reaction when it comes, which it certainly will.

The Pilgrim Fathers with the vast continent before them were more economical in the use of land for burial purposes, than we are in the laying out of our burial parks. Such free use of the land, which by law and sentiment belongs to the people, will lead to the opposite extreme and the more land we waste in the elaboration of our hobby, the earlier will be our overthrow. Though we are able at the present time to grow food for our vast population we must not lose sight of the fact that where at the present time there spreads the beautiful cemetery connected with the populous city, half a century ago the Indian and the buffalo roamed at will. There is no reason to suppose that the next half century will move more slowly than the one that is past. The time, therefore, is not far distant when the builder, the producer and the consumer will give the first twist to the necks of our pet schemes. In conclusion, if we would see our work survive us, let us proceed in our improvements with due care.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the16th Annual Convention
Held at Boston, MA
August 19, 20, 21 and 22, 1902

The modern cemetery! What does it mean? It means everything pos¬sible to lighten the grief of those who are called upon to part with some dear one. How is this brought about? It is brought about by keeping the grounds neat and attractive, clean avenues, well kept lawns and lots, trees and shrubs, in variety, flower beds here and there, and a superintendent who is in touch with everyone, easy to approach, sympathetic in nature, courteous at all times. Let these conditions be brought about, and we have what a modern cemetery should be.

When the dead has been laid to rest in its bed of mother earth, and the greensward has been replaced, and tender hands have arranged the flowers on nature's carpet, and the friends depart, they feel as if the modern cemetery had robbed death of half its horrors.

Compare the graveyards of the past with the cemeteries of today and mark the progress. An extract from American Gardening says: The tendency of the times is to make the cemetery a park, rather than a marble yard. Ghosts have vanished with old fashioned headstones, with skull and cross bones and poetic epitaphs.

Today, our cemeteries are called gardens of the dead, and the work is still going on in the direction of beautifying grounds that are now beautiful. And for this reason, our Association was formed. Those who have attended our conventions have certainly been benefited. Whatever one's occupa¬tion, he will never make a success unless he loves his work. The superinten¬dent should understand the construction of avenues and lawns should know the name and nature of trees, shrubs and flowers and not be obliged to ask any man in his employ. He can only learn this by practice and study. Books and papers are always in his reach, touching upon every subject of interest to him. We read of some experiment tried, or some idea advanced, just what we wanted to know, and we at once avail ourselves of the courtesy of our un¬known friend. The catalogues issued by leading seeds-men are full of valu¬able information. The mouthpiece of our Association, the PARK AND CEME¬TERY, has enlightened us on many a subject and has done much toward educating the superintendent in the better discharge of his duties. It is still in its infancy. Long may it live and flourish, and continue to instruct us and those who may follow in our work.

Let me read an extract from Downing's Essays, and see what a master mind said nearly fifty years ago. "One of the most remarkable illustrations of the popular taste, in this country, is to be found in the rise and progress of our rural cemeteries. Twenty years ago, nothing better than a common graveyard, filled with high grass and a chance sprinkling of weeds and this¬tles, was to be found in the Union. If there were one or two exceptions like the burial ground at New Haven, where a few willow trees broke the mon¬otony of the scene, they existed only to prove the rule more completely. Eighteen years ago, in 1831, Mount Auburn, about six miles from Poston, was made a rural cemetery. It was then a charming natural site, finely varied in surface, containing about 80 acres of land, and admirably clothed by groups and masses of native forest trees. It was tastefully laid out, monu¬ments were built, and the whole highly embellished. No sooner was atten¬tion generally roused to the charms of this first American cemetery than the idea took the public mind by storm. Travelers made pilgrimages to the Athens of New England, solely to see the realization of their long cherished dream of a resting place for the dead, at once sacred from profanation, dear to the memory, and captivating to the imagination." He then speaks of the leading cemeteries of New York and Philadelphia, and says the great attract¬ion of these cemeteries to the mass of the community, is not in the fact that they are burial places or solemn places of meditation for the friends of the deceased, or striking exhibitions of monumental sculpture, though all these have their influence. The true secret of the attraction lies in the natural beauty of the sites and in the tasteful and harmonious embellishments of these sites by art. It awakens at once the feelings of human sympathy and the love of natural beauty, implanted in every heart. He then says in the absence of great public gardens, such as we must surely some day have in America, our rural cemeteries are doing a great deal to enlarge and educate the popular taste in rural embellishments. They are for the most part laid out with admirable taste. They contain the greatest variety of trees and shrubs to be found in the country and several of them are kept in a manner seldom equaled in private grounds.

Since these lines were written, rapid strides have been made. Parks have sprung up all over our country, and no doubt many a hint was obtained from our cemeteries. The lawn mowers were not invented and of course lots did not present so smooth an appearance as now. THE MODERN CEMETERY, a few years ago, said more monuments are not necessary, but may be admissible under the lawn plan. Head and foot stones, however, should be abandoned and not allowed under any conditions. They are the multitude of closely huddled stone piles that obliterate and destroy the beauty of any landscape, natural or artificial. Only by concerted efforts, and by a display of good taste under the guidance of one controlling plan, can proper effects be se¬cured and the cemetery given unity in an endless variety, and yet be in harmony with its distinct purpose of burial.

I will add to this by saying that no fence nor structure of any kind should be allowed to enclose a lot, or corner post allowed above the grass. I am pleased to say that fences are constantly being removed as soon as the consent of the owner can be obtained. I understand in some cemeteries, the consent of the owner is not asked. In my own case, I get the consent of the owner and in some cases, it has been reluctantly given, feeling that it would be regretted; but I have found only one case where it was regretted; but on the other hand, they have wondered why they did not have it done before. I have taken down four this year, and have only twenty-eight more left in the cemetery, and am in hopes, inside of three years, that not a fence will be left. There are only ten lots enclosed by stone curbings in the ceme¬tery, and one of those will be taken away before long. The graves on our public or free lots are marked by numbers on the end of a marble block set level with the grass. No other stones are allowed. Thus we are gradually working towards the lawn plan and gradually working towards the perpetual care system. Some cemeteries sell under both, perpetual care or not. I sell nothing only under perpetual care. Any cemetery that sells lots today without the perpetual care system, will at some day regret it.

A carpet of green is the beauty of the cemetery and let us remember that we cannot have that unless we start right, and I will not enter into the details of making a lawn, because you all know. The kind of grass seed used may vary with the locality. But one thing is certain-anything that is worth doing is worth doing well.

How beautiful the trees! Weirs cut-leaf maple with its foliage touch¬ing the grass; the cut-leaf birch with its white branches in lovely contrast with the foliage; the purple and other varieties of maples, the purple beech, and the giant oak with its outstretched branches that have defied the elements for generations. The many varieties of evergreens, and many va¬rieties of our native trees that I will not mention, all contribute to make our cemeteries what they are.

Again, I will quote Downing. He says: "An American may be allowed honest pride, in the beauty and profusion of fine forest trees, natives of our western hemisphere. North America is the land of oaks, pines and magno¬lias, to say nothing of the lesser genera; and the parks and the gardens of all Europe owe their choicest sylvan treasures to our native woods and hills."

Let us not forget the flowers that do so much to beautify our cemeteries. Some have discouraged growing them to such an extent as they are grown in many cemeteries. To my mind, their many colors help to bring out the beauty of the grass, and make the lawn more beautiful. Who does not love them? They are welcome on every occasion, at the scene of festivity and the house of mourning. We watch them flourish under the hand of cultiva¬tion. We see them by the wayside, and in the fields, and up among the hills and mountains, cultivated only by the hand of nature, and we love them everywhere. They seem to carry with them something unexplainable, a sort of Divine inspiration. As I see people wending their way to the grave of some dear one, with a bouquet culled from among the treasures of the garden, I think what else would answer in the place of those flowers, and I answer myself by saying-nothing. They seem to be a message to the de¬parted one, and as far as we know, they may be in some way. Let us do all we can to encourage their growth, and not think for a moment that they de¬tract from the beauty of the lawn. I do not advise making a flowerbed on the grave, preferring the grass and level at that.

I have always felt impressed that Sundays should be more generally ob¬served in our cemeteries. I do not see why a superintendent should be called upon to sell lots on that day. The plea is made by the people that they do not have the time on a week day. The office of the dealer in real estate is closed, and this plea is not made to them. Much other cemetery business is put off till Sunday by lot owners because they know the cemetery is open for business. Why make burials on that day, when the cemetery is full of visitors? To see strangers almost mingling with mourners around the grave, is to my mind, a scene not in keeping with what should be one of great solemnity. If for no other reason, a burial should not be made on Sun¬day.

In some cemeteries connected with our large cities, if it is necessary to make burials on Sunday, by reason of the large number of bodies brought in, means should be taken to prevent a public exhibition.

In the cemetery that is in my charge, from one to five bodies are brought in on Sunday, and they are placed in the receiving tomb, and arrangements are then made with whoever of the family that wish to be present at the burial, which is generally on Monday and not later than Tuesday. My assistant or myself', is present at every burial.

I have no application to sell lots on Sunday. My office is closed and the curtains down. A sign in the window informs visitors that the superin¬tendent and his assistants are prohibited from performing any labor on the Sabbath Day, and is signed by the Secretary of the Board of Commissioners. An officer is on duty to answer all questions. Observing the Sabbath, I think, is as much an improvement to hold up the standard of the modern cemetery as the many improvements that have been made in other direc¬tions.

In conversation with people, and hearing their expressions, I am firmly convinced that our cemeteries, in the manner they are kept, do much in the direction of education towards a higher standard of thought, and it is certainly pleasing, to know that when the inevitable comes, our mortal re¬mains will go back to dust in such beautiful grounds. A common interest is centered in our cemeteries. The young and the old walk hand in hand through the grounds. We see one standing in silent prayer by the grave of maybe a mother, who has fulfilled her mission, leaving a legacy rich with good teachings ere she journeyed to that Great Beyond. We look about the cemetery, and we see others standing by graves, and in their imagination, they have gone to that Great Beyond, and have seen father, mother, brother or sister. Could they walk out of the grounds feeling other than better by their visit?

Let us, therefore, strive to help our Association, and we will, by so doing, help ourselves, and see more readily where we can make improvements, never forgetting that this is an age of progress, and we must ever be on the alert. By so doing, we will make our grounds more attractive, and will be rewarded by the appreciation of a generous public.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 10th Annual Convention
Held at St. Louis, MO
September 15, 16 and 17, 1896

An American poet once said that he wished his body to be cremated and his ashes scattered from a lofty height of the Sierras so that the wind might carry his dust into the crannies of the mountains and become a part of their substance.

Those everlasting hills were the monument he craved, to be absorbed by them the honor he desired.

Probably but few paid any attention to his words, and perhaps they attributed them to the idiosyncrasy of a disordered mind. But, was it not a poetic, unselfish and legitimate ambition?

Great and sane men crave the distinction of burial within the walls of Westminster. To be buried there is the highest honor England has to offer her illustrious dead; and though the record of such interment is but a brief inscription graven on a stone in the floor, the assurance of such recognition would be sweet balm to the departing spirit of many a celebrated English¬man. Now, if it is good to be buried in a building grand in itself, grand in the historic memories that cluster around it and grand in the famous names recorded above the impalpable powder of past generations, why is it not better to be absorbed by a sublime mountain?

The building, it is true, is a living work of art in that it breathes the spirit of the artist who designed it, but it is subject to deterioration by the ac¬tion of the elements and is only kept intact by the constant care of man. At best its span of existence is short.

But a mountain is a living thing, a part of old Mother Earth. It is sub¬ject to the yearly cycle of changing seasons, its summit ever kisses the skies, while around it storm clouds roll or mists are folded, or its snowy peak stands clear cut against blue ether.

It is more than mere earth, mineral and stone. I hold that there is greater opportunity for the untrammeled dust scattered broadcast on the Pacific Slope than for that packed selfishly away in the crypt of a mighty building. There is a chance for it to be used repeatedly as all of nature's materials are intended to be, so that, having been transmuted into a noble Redwood or a sturdy Pine, the dross may be so nearly eliminated that a final appearance, perhaps as a delicate Edelweiss on the brink of a glacier, will fit the purified atom for translation to some fairer sphere whose coarsest dust corresponds to the most refined that this world knows. But, if any object to being sown broadcast, (and probably some will), why not try and rouse in them the ambition to be buried in a work of Art more perfect than West¬minster Abbey and as beautiful as the Sierras?

Are there not in this day indications of a faint stirring in the hearts of men of the feeling that it is better to be laid to rest in a peaceful place such as living men long for when weary rather than in an artificial desert of stones? The tired body and brain turns instinctively for rest and refreshment to the simple beauty of natural landscape. Grandeur and sublimity are in them¬selves overpowering and for that reason lack the solace and restfulness of woods, lakes, and streams. The quiet, shaded glen; "the violet by the mossy stone" the singing brook or rippling lakelet; the soft twitter of wild birds; the drowsy hum of insects; all phases of sylvan simplicity appeal to the eb¬bing vital force of man.

Is not this a token, may it not be a silent guide, especially an encourage¬ment to the members of the Association I have the honor to address, to con¬tinue their efforts to raise the standard of public opinion as to what constitutes fitting homes for the dead? Let us think so, and let them continue to strive to make noble works of art, artfully artificial places of peaceful rest, quiet resorts for weary wanderers, pleasant last homes for the dust of humanity, so that the living need no longer banish their dead to the conventional, lugu¬brious stone yards that they themselves enter with regret and leave with re¬lief. And let them be made along the line indicated by the natural instincts of mankind so that each shall be a perfect landscape of its kind whether pas¬toral or picturesque as fits the spirit of the natural landscape it replaces or be¬comes a part of. Humboldt calls landscape gardening "composing land¬scapes," which clearly shows the close relationship between this art and that of landscape painting. And it is true that the fundamental rules of the two are identical, and the chief of these is unity.

It is said of the master landscape painter, Corot, that what he wanted to express in painting was "not nature's statistics, but their sum total; not her minutiae, but the results she had wrought with them; not the elements with which she had built up, (note the expression), had built up a landscape, but landscape itself, that is a certain broad effect and that he "created land¬scapes out of the elements which in nature's presence he had stored in his sketch book and in his memory. He but completed the beautiful messages she had been suggesting here and half revealing there."

The landscape gardener also composes and builds up landscapes and the artists among them do so from nature's own suggestions by carefully working out and combining hints that they have noted in woodland rambles, from fleeting glimpses of natural beauty gained from the window of a railway train from careful study of masses of foliage, from analytical examination of shadow effects, from all the data that his artistic eye has gleaned and that he has stored in his note book and his memory, reinforced in this day by photography.

True, he must be hand in glove with the elements that compose his pic¬ture for they correspond to the painters pigments, they are his medium of ex¬pression, and it goes without saying that he must have perfect control of them before he can express anything; just as we must have a vocabulary before we can make our ideas understood. But, on the other hand, he must have some¬thing in mind that he intends to express, a beautiful effect in nature that he wishes to set before the world, or his materials are useless; just as one may know lots of words, but having no idea to present, they avail nothing.

So, the landscape gardener strives to express some one of natures phases and to secure it he knows how to subordinate detail to the broad general effect. He never loses sight of the basic truth that the whole is greater than any of its parts. In a word he studies analytically, but he treats his work synthetically.

To apply these rules to cemetery work ought not to be difficult.

First, .as Downing said, "let not the individual consider only what he wishes to do in his folly, but study the larger part that nature has done in her wisdom, vs: do not strive to unmake the character she has stamped on a piece of ground." This may be taken to apply more especially to the surface of the ground. Then, as to planting he further emphasizes the same truth by saying explicitly "that true art in landscape gardening selects from the nat¬ural materials abounding in any location its best sylvan features and by giv¬ing them a better opportunity than they could otherwise obtain brings about a higher beauty of development and a more perfect expression than nature herself offers." But the sort of man we have in mind does not forget, as Prof. Goldwin Smith once accused some one of doing, that he is only the Editor and not the Author of Nature.

But the matter is, unfortunately, less simple than it seems because ceme¬tery esthetics are seriously handicapped by time honored customs old enough and bad enough to be set aside as obsolete; by preconceived notions; and by man's vanity and selfishness expressed in a material burden of stones that leave the artist very nearly helpless.

General education as to what constitutes a fit burial place is the principal hope for relief from these unfortunate conditions. Like all artificial land¬scapes, a cemetery needs to be treated as a whole. But it is almost invariably considered as an aggregation of lots and divided up with the precision and al¬most the decision of a checker board.

Lot owners must be brought to look at the matter in a larger way than is customary before any marked improvement will be seen, for with them, as has been said, largely lies the relief sought. They must come to understand that each lot unostentatiously takes its place in the making of the broad pic¬ture; and that each is individually good only as it fills its place in that pic¬ture.

All who feel an interest in the subject can do something towards diffu¬sing the dawning light of the 20th century idea of what are fitting burial places and memorials for the dead and thus help to invest it with a more wholesome environment. And perhaps there is no better method than by endeavoring to establish the sentiment that it is better to own a share in a Landscape than a lot in a Cemetery.

In the minds of many, perhaps of most people, a lot means an angular block. Being thought of as a square it comes to be treated likewise, and un¬less some restraint interferes, its angularity is emphasized by definite boundary lines with the reduplicated rectangularity we are all familiar with.

How much better to own a share in a landscape unencumbered by con¬ventional stones and un-defaced by gaudy carpet beds, neither of which have place in any known variety of natural landscape; a share in a place so charm¬ing that a Corot, an Inness or a Troyon would wish to paint it.

Doubtless ownership in landscapes as famous as paintings by celebrated artists would soon develop the feeling that an artistic landscape that is to be perpetually cared for as a work of art is in itself the most fitting memorial for all who sleep therein; that noble, living, growing trees are appropriate monu¬ments to immortal souls that have passed to a higher life where they too are still growing; and it seems reasonable to suppose that the right of interment in such Landscapes would come to have a value at least comparable to sepulture in Westminster.

For the present it is fortunate for all that wealth insures many large lots in cemeteries thus securing a proportion of comparatively open space. In modern cemeteries these expanses are increased, in locations where good landscape composition demands them, by reserving sections where plots are sold only to those who do not care for either monuments or stones; and still farther by preserving such natural bits of beauty included in the site as are unsuited for interments, as, for instance, sharp inclines that when well wooded or planted to shrubbery add an hundred fold to the charm of the grounds.

All of these features are a distinct advantage to every share holder for they make possible effects not otherwise obtainable until higher standards prevail.

But in the cemetery of the future the lots of the wealthy will be indistin¬guishable from the single grave section. Death will there in reality make all equal as it is now said to do. There will as it were, be no line of demar¬cation between the residence quarter and the tenement district. No, it will be a city of the dead in name but not in appearance-all will then sleep in a bit of blessed country.

For the cemeteries of the future will be, as I have tried to outline, works of art; consistent, harmonious landscapes, each complete and perfect of its kind; there will be no visible divisions for lots will melt into each other, plan¬tations of shrubs being placed where the unity of the scheme demands, spread¬ing over parts of many lots, and even over the graves themselves for they will be level with the surrounding surface; there will be splendid trees, for they are part of a landscape and are fitting as memorials, but they will stand only where the composition of the picture demands trees; many lots will have neither shrubs nor trees, for they will be part of the open expanses that are the basis of goad landscape art and are as essential to it as what we call the sky, is, in its relation to the starry worlds around us; not every lot will have a monument, but such works of sculptural art as "French's Death and the Sculptor" and kindred dreams of beauty will readily be given a suitable set¬ting because they will never be too numerous and are in harmony with the atmosphere of these landscape homes of the dead: records will be kept and limits will be invisibly marked, but in these fair pictures there will be no headstones, because the people will have realized at last that money is bet¬ter spent in perpetuating lovely landscape memorials than in setting up un¬sightly blocks of stone-just because some one has them for sale, There may be inconspicuous markers but nothing more, In short, a drive through one of these coming Park grounds will be like the one spoken of in Miss Alcotts "Little Women" where the visitors felt they were passing through a “long gallery filled with lovely landscapes."

And the occupation of the stone mason will not be gone. If nothing else offers we can make Japanese Gardens the fashion and set them to chipping out stone lanterns-a lighter branch of their work than carving stones to hold humanity to earth, most of whom find their weight of sin more than enough.

The gentlemen of this Association are striving to diffuse the light of these new ideas; they are eager to transform the grim stone yards of the present into the fair landscapes of the future; they ask nothing better than an oppor¬tunity to build up such lovely earthly landscapes that they will be esteemed worthy, (when they are themselves translated) each to have a star of his own to plan and plants as Frederika Bremer felt sure Downing was to have. And shall not we, the lookers on, each of whom has a personal interest in the matter whether we will or not, do what we can to aid in discouraging the morbid mortuary customs of our-time?

I think the majority will answer yes, for, when we come to think about it, the most of us will feel that:

Better the wind swept height of lofty mountain range,
Bright sun, sweet air, the moonbeam's wondrous light,
Or starry cells 'neath opal seas that change,
Than somber stones that press to endless night,
Better the grassy glade blessed by the sun and dew,
Where the long shadows lightly come and go,
Where leafy dome and spire uplift the thought,
And soaring bird, aloof from all below,
Carries it on, until a vision's caught
Of those Celestial Landscapes of the blest,
Where souls immortal find eternal rest.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 10th Annual Convention
Held at St. Louis, MO
September 15, 16 and 17, 1896

Not long ago, I was asked by our worthy Secretary to prepare a short paper for this convention, and to select some subject of my own choice. I reluctantly consented, knowing that practical papers on the most important subjects pertaining to the advancement of cemeteries have been presented and read by able men of this association, but feeling it a duty, as a member to respond when called upon, I consented.

In looking over the proceedings of conventions held prior to this, my at¬tention was called to a paper on the construction and maintenance of roads, by Manton E. Hibbs, C. E., from the Bureau of City Surveys, Philadelphia, and read at the eighth annual convention which I found very interesting and practical.

In speaking of the road-bed, Mr. Hibbs favors the Macadam-Telford this kind will, without doubt, meet with the approval of all who are interested in the management of cemeteries, but while we may all agree on this point, the question arises, "Are we in a financial condition to bear the expense of road-beds of this kind?"

We are all aware, I believe, that the majority of cemeteries laid out and platted thirty years ago, or any time prior to that, were as a rule laid out by some incompetent person whose one aim seemed to be to divide up a tract of ground at right angles, in such a manner as to give avenue access to as many lots as possible, disregarding the park or lawn plan sought after in laying out cemeteries at the present time, and thereby using about one-third of his land for avenue purposes. In many cemeteries this error is overcome by converting the unnecessary avenues into lots, and should be encouraged everywhere; but when such errors exist and cannot be remedied one can readily see what an expensive and everlasting undertaking it would be to macadam all streets in such cemeteries, especially where the cash balance in the treasury is limited.

I will therefore endeavor to speak of a material that might be used with good results, at a very small cost, and it is nothing more or less than coal cinders produced from burning poor coal, commonly called slag, and can be had in nearly all cities having manufacturing plants.

Perhaps it might be well to state how we construct and maintain roads of this kind in Riverside. We do all grading and excavating for roads in the fall, at an average depth of twelve (12) inches, and allowing that depth to be filled in with this material during the winter months when other improve¬ments are practically at a stand still. The majorities of our avenues are eighteen (18) feet in width, and have a lawn margin on each side of from three and one half to four feet, including gutters, the majority of which are of sod.

In the early springtime the material is put in proper order by being leveled and thoroughly rolled. It is of great importance to use plenty of water when this is done and in finishing the same, which makes it very compact.

The average cost of making road- beds of this kind is about one dollar for everyone hundred square feet of road surface, and is therefore, I believe, within the reach of all cemeteries doing business on business principles.

The cost of maintenance is also very small. When depressions occur by constant travel, they are filled with fresh material; this however, seldom oc¬curs where road-beds are frequently sprinkled. I might add that I have seen .roads of this kind traveled over by heavy dray wagons bearing monumental work, weighing from three to four tons, after heavy rains, making depressions scarcely noticeable. I would therefore recommend road making of this kind in cemeteries where Macadam-Telford is too expensive.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 10th Annual Convention
Held at St. Louis, MO
September 15, 16 and 17, 1896

As a layman; speaking to those whose professional employment consists in providing and maintaining beautiful resting places for our beloved dead, I have chosen to speak to you by way of encouraging a more cheerful and rational view of death itself. If we can succeed in looking upon death as a friend, as Daniel French has so beautifully portrayed in his memorial tablet to the young artist Milmore, now set in bronze in Forest Hill cemetery, near Boston, and will generally admit that death is not inherently an evil, but next to life itself the greatest earthly blessing, then we might hope to maintain towards it a more cheerful and reasonable bearing. And this is the thesis I hate assigned myself in this paper.

To appreciate the changed attitude of the world in this matter, and es¬pecially with reference to burial places, we should note at least, three periods of the world's history in this respect.
The oldest form of worship was that of deceased ancestors whose spirits were supposed to forever haunt the ancient hearth-stone and tomb, which were always near together. The maintenance of a perpetual fire on the one, and the proper attention and care of the other kept the descendants rooted to, the home of their fathers, and gave to these resting places of the dead a sacredness and inviolableness which has always characterized these spots in all nations, and in diminishing degrees even to the present day.

Following this came the doctrine of the physical resurrection of the dead to an endless life, which was thought to have been the original attribute of the race, and which was lost through the sins of our first parents, which doctrine still finds adherents amongst the less educated and less thoughtful classes, and at one time pervaded all Christendom. This doctrine added, if possible, to the sacredness of the body from which all life had departed, and made its perpetual preservation a thing altogether to be desired and a filial duty which was fulfilled as far as possible. This necessitated a place of repose, pending this wonderful awakening, which should be sacredly preserved in undisturbed entirety from age to age until the resurrection morn, when Gabriel's trumpet should sound and these innumerable graves should render up their long cher¬ished and un-violated dead.

The present scientific age has dispelled both of these doctrines as tender illusions, for which the wish had been father to the thought. We have now ceased to regard the remains of our deceased friends as having any particular significance except as reminders of their living counterparts, and hence the preserving care of, and superstitious regard for these perishing, lifeless organ¬isms, which formerly was a sacred duty, has now become merely a traditional and an entirely irrational custom. It is to be hoped the day is not far distant when cremation, the only rational disposition of the lifeless body, will be uni¬versally adopted in all civilized communities.

Another beneficent result of the more general prevalence of scientific knowledge is that the laws of this present world are coming to be better un¬derstood and accepted as wise and good. It was no meaningless or flippant remark of Margaret Fuller's when she said, "I accept the universe." For ages it has been considered the righteous thing to reject this visible, objective universe as a miserable failure, a vale of tears, a kind of way station where we are forced to tarry for a time in painful preparation for an endless existence in some other world, in which perpetual happiness and joy, or endless woe and torment were supposed to be prepared for all comers.

Now I do not care, as a scientific man, to commit myself for or against any theory of a future life, for the truth or falsity of which I have no suffi¬cient evidence to enable me to formulate an opinion, but the absence of any decided views on this subject does not trouble me in the least, as I once supposed it would. What I cannot know I cannot be accountable for, and hence I choose to shape my course, and would wish all others to do the same, in ac¬cordance with the knowable things of this world rather than the unknowable, feeling satisfied that whatever the future has in store "no evil can happen to a good man in life or in death."

Assuming, therefore, that we may look upon death as a product of natural causes, the same as any other natural phenomenon, and that these causes are found in the fixed, and as we believe the beneficent, laws of the universe, let us examine into it as we would into any other aspect of the workings of na¬ture's laws, to see whether or not it is the hideous monster it is commonly represented.

First we must remember that we must view it as a whole, and not simply in its exceptional or most painful examples. Like any other law, if the con¬ditions of its operation are complied with it must of necessity operate, whe¬ther its action is beneficent or injurious. So with fire, which was regarded by the ancient Greeks as the greatest gift of the gods to man, and yet it may be his most destructive enemy. In fact every law of nature, of which man has learned, may work evil as well as good if its operating conditions are ignored, and yet we call them all wise and beneficent, and thereby we accept the universe, with death included, as a good and wholesome world, when properly understood.

Probably the great argument in favor of death as a law of the universe is that hereby only can the race make progress. With the ancient belief in a golden age when man was perfect and immortal, no improvement was possi¬ble and hence death was not a necessary condition, but with the newer and now prevalent view of the evolution of the human species, progress can only come with infinitesimal gains from generation to generation and all our sup¬eriority to our less progressive "poor relations" lies in this evolution through innumerable births and deaths.

Prof. Fiske finds a very strong support in this doctrine of the "ascent of man" in the long period of infancy of the human species. How much this de¬veloping period of childhood is fostered and stimulated by the fear of the death of the child on the part of the parent, he does not indicate, but if death did not exist we can all see how much this developing care of parents would be relaxed, and how the race might at once begin to degenerate. If death is then an essential condition of human progress, it must be pronounced good and not evil, and it is therefore a friend and not an enemy of mankind.

The subjective effect of this law on the individuals also most wholesome, when it is not regarded as evidence of divine wrath or displeasure or of an incomprehensible caprice. Remove it from the category of special provi¬dences, and it can be calmly viewed as the working out of the effects of nat¬ural causes. It must be regarded at times, however, as an unfortunate, sad, and pitiful result of the operation of a most beneficent law. These are the cases of "untimely death" to overcome which but stimulates the race, and which are rapidly being eliminated with the progress of science and the spread of its teachings. Even here death must still be regarded as the unex¬pected visit of a friend, and not as the stealthy stroke of an enemy. If we would all conscientiously contemplate the friendliness of death, not viewing it with fear and trembling as the great arch enemy of mankind, and as meanly stealing upon us as a thief in the night, but as coming quietly and in the most friendly and helpful way, leading us into the great unknown from which we have nothing to fear if we are not afraid to live, then we would not only welcome it when it comes to us, but we would regard the vanishing from mor¬tal sight of our friends with a greater resignation and comfort. As a friend goes to a far country to live, as a loved daughter marries and leaves the home of her parents, as a child goes from its home to be educated, so should the bearing away of our loved ones by death be regarded.

Yes, in some respects we may say this last journey has its consolations which the others lack. We all admit there are many things more to be dreaded than death, and so long as we live some of these may possibly come to us, but when our dear ones are once confided to the care of this last friend, we are certain no further harm can come to them.

It is one of the unaccountable facts that while death has always been so feared and dreaded by the well, it seems to be always welcomed by the dying. The friendship for this unseen visitor then manifests itself, on the part of the passing spirit, and why then should we not also call Death our Friend? Surely, in a very true sense, those departed souls are nearer to us after this vanishing from outward sight than when clothed in flesh and blood. Proxi¬mity of body is no proof of commingling spirits. When the outward body has passed away then we feel that we can possess our friend entire and our spiritual communion with the ideal and real friend is perfect and continuous, and nothing can now occur to break this perpetual bond and shaping influence.

The ever-present knowledge that death will come to us sooner or later is probably the greatest of all stimulants to noble endeavor. Were we certain of a continuous existence here we would always be inclined to delay action and await the development of events. As it is, we feel that no time must be lost or wasted-that the present is all that we are sure of, and that every pas¬sing moment must be consciously utilized to help complete the work of a life known to be short and which may end at any moment. We are thus changed from indifferent drones to working members of the human hive, with the result that our own and future generations will receive some good thing or some added pleasure as a result of our having lived at all.

We also thus develop our own personality, and if an immortal existence awaits us when the friend of all mankind calls upon us, we will be certain to receive in some form a further reward for our faithful services here. The blessings of death are therefore constant and perpetual, both here and here¬after, and if occasionally a few times in every life we are thereby stricken down by grief, and a sense of loneliness and loss almost overcomes us, we should be reasonable and remember all the benefits we and the world derive from this same Friend, who will one day call in turn for us.

Although it often seems as though lives were cut short in the midst of their allotted tasks, leaving them uncompleted, yet often the real benefit of a life comes only after it has ceased to exist. Then it is that the character wrought out in life is distilled into a spiritual influence which may accompany, pervade, and shape a thousand lives, as could not have been done by the em¬bodied soul. If a feeling of incompleteness accompanies this influence, a thousand minds are stimulated to carryon what one had begun, and so the works grows and spreads by the death of its originator, as Christianity itself did when its founder was called away before his work had scarcely begun.

Then why should an air of gloom, of mourning, of somber sadness per¬vade everything connected with death and the grave? Surely the dead are not honored in this despairing inaction. We honor them most by cheerfully lending a hand to complete the work they had begun, and to fill the void their departure had left in our midst. In this way we too may worship our ancestors, and to a much greater profit than in caring for their tombs and in ministering to the supposed wants of their departed spirits. Other losses are not to be repaired by mourning over them, then why should this be any ex¬ception to our common rule of conduct? There is but one answer to this question. It has become so fixed and universal a custom to do so that we should be considered heartless to abstain. To be strictly honest, one must admit, I think that this is the case. No customs are so hard to change as those relating to death and burial. In these respects we are still in the bar¬barous stage. In these affairs, most pre-eminently matters of the heart, of private or individual concern, we act as though we took council only of public opinion and had no personal interest in the subject. We either affect a sad¬ness and grief we do not feel, or we coarsely parade before the gaping crowd our crushed and bleeding heart-strings. In other matters of the heart we maintain our privacy intact from our nearest and dearest friends as modesty and delicacy, and a due regard for our own self-respect require, but in all matters relating to death in the family, the conduct of funerals, and our mourning habits, we are bound absolutely to a series of customs at once irra¬tional, barbarous and oppressive.

But, you may say, why should we be told again of these things which we all know and have long deprecated? I don't know that I can give you a good reason, and probably I should apologize to you for bewailing before you a state of things you would all gladly join with me or anyone else in correcting. Perhaps it is because I have felt that you as a class of men, charged with car¬ing for our places of the dead, may possibly do a little to impress upon the public in an unconscious way perhaps, the feeling that death is a friend and not an enemy.

I believe, however, you are all trying to do this. I am sure it is not with your approbation or advice that our cemeteries look so much like charnel houses. You surely do not favor bedecking them with broken shafts, ghastly marbles, and weeping willows. On the other hand, I am sure you are doing all you can to banish these from our "Cities of the Dead," as they are now very properly called and to bring in the place of these emblems of sorrow the brightest of flowers and the most cheerful foliage; the most beautiful and in¬spiring trees and the most restful and inviting landscapes; and in place of iron fences and stone vaults give us glassy waters and shady walks. Give nature a chance to cheer and sooth the disconsolate and wounded hearts which venture here to be again near the remains of their loved ones instead of wounding and crushing them anew with skulls and cross-bones, lifeless mar¬bles and ghastly sepulchers.

What I wish to see, therefore, in all matters pertaining to the final de¬parture of the visible forms of our friends from this world is a general recog¬nition of the following facts:

1. That all people should try to add to our common happiness, improve¬ment and good cheer, feeling sure that the more we succeed in bringing heavenly happiness into this world the more likely we are to find a happy heaven in the next.
2. That death is the great friend and benefactor of the race.
3. That it comes only in accordance with the working out of wise and beneficent laws, and never as a special judgment; or by accident or through blind caprice.
4. That it should be received and respected as a friend and not reviled and hated as the insidious skulking foe of all mankind.
5. That all matters connected with death and burial should receive a more private, and therefore a more natural and cheerful treatment.
6. That the minds of those who mourn should be turned to the future rather than to the past, since looking backward, except to range a course forward is always profitless.
7. That the lifeless bodies once inhabited by our friends should be re¬duced to their earthly elements in the most rapid and harmless manner pos¬sible.
8. That if these material remains are preserved in the bosom of Mother Earth, it be in spots unobtrusively marked in beautiful parks, where earth and sky, flower and foliage, lawn and lake, birds and butterflies shall each and all bring healing and joy to the crushed and bleeding hearts which will resort thither as a thirsty traveler to rippling waters.

From the publication:
AACS - Proceedings of the 10th Annual Convention
Held at St. Louis, MO
September 15, 16 and 17, 1896

When approached by your representative to prepare a paper for this meeting, I declined. Had the subject been estate landscaping, sanitarium landscape, schools, golf courses or park landscapes, I should have drawn upon experiences to relate to you, but Cemetery Landscapes - NO - for it has not been my privilege to assist in the planning and development of a cemetery. In declining, it was my thought that cemetery owners would prefer to hear from one who has had considerable experience in cemetery work. Your representative felt this point of no importance but failed to explain himself. I wondered if he had the thought so aptly expressed by Bob Mann of Chicago when he said, "A fresh viewpoint from an un¬promising source sometimes lifts the many petticoats of custom and lays bare the essentials".

An essential is what I have chosen to talk to you about. An essential indeed - Maintenance. I know of no man-made Landscape that does not require maintenance and I therefore assume that you all have a mainte¬nance problem as do all other land developers.

Your policies, rules, and regulations primarily affect your maintenance costs. Those of you who operate the monument type cemetery have one problem. Those of you who operate the Memorial park cemetery have another. Those of you who operate a combination of these two types have still another. I am sure you have all made the observation which I made not so long ago. While driving through one of the monument type ceme¬teries, I came upon about a dozen men operating hand mowers on a small piece of turf that happened to be a clear grass island between two major drives, I stopped short and gazed in wonderment - for I was sure I had come upon a W.P.A. project - in a cemetery. If there is such, I haven't heard of it. I looked around this island and saw every slope covered with monuments, which soon convinced me that I wasn't looking at a W.P.A. project but no doubt at a part of the regular maintenance staff for these dozen men and several more would be needed to push hand mowers be¬tween those monuments. That afternoon I happened into a Memorial Park Cemetery where no monuments were the policy and here I saw one man riding a power mower, cutting about 72 inches at one time, and at a speed considerably faster than I could walk. There may have been several other differences in these two cemeteries but it was quite obvious that the difference in lawn maintenance cost was considerable.

You also have your rules and regulations - Such as: "Only one monu¬ment allowed on a lot" - "Not more than one urn allowed on a lot" ¬"No trees or shrubs can be planted or removed without the consent of the superintendent". These are but a few of many which all affect your maintenance costs.

As I understand it, all cemetery lots are sold subject to some limita¬tions concerning their use and surface treatment. Many of you are oper¬ating old cemeteries and will therefore be obliged to carry on under whatever conditions were made a part of the sale contract rather than what you might wish them to be. I will therefore try to confine the obser¬vations of this paper to the maintenance problems which most of you will have regardless of the type of cemetery you operate.

What is Maintenance, or more specifically - Landscape Mainte¬nance? Maintenance is simply the operations necessary to control the many forces of nature so that they will produce our desired results. For exam¬ple, we want a lawn, but nature does not produce a lawn. She will produce a meadow, and provided there are sufficient animals grazing it, the effect will be somewhat the same as a lawn. As we don't have grazing animals in cemeteries, we must provide labor, with tools, to pro¬duce the same effects. Lawn cutting is nothing more than the operations necessary to control the natural growth of grass so that we might have a lawn rather than a meadow, or woods perhaps.

Since the beginning, man has not found the undisturbed forces of nature compatible with his needs and fancies. He has continually altered the natural conditions to provide his wants. If nature could only see our point and be cooperative, she would, have produced by this time a grass that would not tolerate other plants, i.e. weeds; a grass that grows lux¬uriantly with or without water and does not grow higher than two inches. A grass that would meet these qualifications, would indeed be a find¬ - but so would perpetual motion - and it is my opinion that when we find one we will find the other.

Nature has her rules and regulations which we are bound by. To be sure, with enough maintenance we can make nature do almost anything we want, or at least for the time being. But to reduce maintenance we may be wise to study the natural order of things and thereby save a lot of grief by doing the cooperating rather than expecting it.

Soil is a thing that you are all interested in. When you take it apart you will discover however that from the standpoint of your landscape you are principally concerned with the top soil or that crust of the earth's surface which provides the essentials to plant life - that is, friability, organic matter, and minerals, which provide food. The earth's crust or top soil is not deep. Indeed, it is usually measured in inches. When we undertake a grading operation, an extensive drainage or irrigation system, we usually find that from the engineering point of view it is most eco¬nomical to readjust the soil which usually results in having the top soil on the bottom and the sub-soil on the top. This is one of nature's laws which we cannot violate if we want her future cooperation in growing vegetative materials. When we undertake any type of land readjustment project, we must put the soil back in the same formation in which we found it.

As we go further into soils, we also find that nature has not prepared all top soils alike; quite to the contrary - for in some places we find a heavy clay soil - others, a very light sandy soil. Sometimes we find a good quantity of organic material in the soil. Other times we find none. The same is true of minerals which provide the food. Should you find it necessary to purchase top soil for anyone of many reasons, it would be decidedly to your advantage to specify the type of soil you want. Don't buy “dirt”. As far as I can determine, this is what most top soil pro¬ducers sell and have no further interests. You as the buyer however definitely have, for you are interested in at least three principal factors. That is, you want a soil for most purposes which the Department of Agriculture classifies as “loam”. You want a soil which has ample or¬ganic matter in it. Many times you will be concerned with either its lime or acid content, and while you can purchase and add food elements, it is decidedly to your advantage to acquire a soil that contains them. These factors can all be measured by a competent chemist and it is considerably to your advantage to determine first the characteristics of the soils which best fit your needs and then to set out to acquire these soils and not just “dirt”. I have seen “dirt” hauled in from great distances at considerable cost on several projects, which frankly was not as good as the soil that existed in the first place.

The next check we should make on nature is to observe where and what she will allow to grow. We know, for example, that she provides luxuriant growth in Florida and Oregon; that the deserts have but few plants; that there are no trees in the plains, and that there are limits to the kinds and varieties of plants she will allow to grow anywhere. We have learned that by adding or holding water to the deserts and plains we can produce things that nature cannot. To add water we must provide and maintain irrigation ditches. To hold the rainfall we must grade the land and provide contour ditches which do not allow it to run away. These are special problems encountered only in sections of the country where rainfall is insufficient. Plant associations however, are of interest to all. Your geographical region, wherever it might be will have definite limits on the plants you can grow without undue or excessive mainte¬nance. From the nursery catalogs you can inform yourselves of the many fine points of many plants. From the maintenance standpoint however, we are not interested in a plant's fine characteristics, but rather with what is troublesome about a plant. We expect it to be good. The limitations of a plant are seldom listed in a nursery catalog. Some of the Colleges of Agriculture have, and disseminate this information. Here is an example of my point. Within a hundred miles of Buffalo, we find broad leaved evergreens, such as laurel and rhododendrons growing naturally. We do not find them growing in the immediate vicinity of Buffalo however. They can be grown in Buffalo, if we remove the existing soil to consider¬able depths, replace with acid soils and expensive peat mosses, and treat the bed periodically to maintain suitable conditions. It is also usually necessary to protect them during the winter with evergreen boughs, screens, or wind breaks. They may be fine additions to our local land¬scapes, but should not be used unless there is a clear understanding of their maintenance requirements. Use only materials hardy to your locality, if you wish to avoid a lot of special handling to keep others alive.

You who have new cemeteries will be interested in fast growing trees. Nature provides them and they can be obtained at very reasonable prices from the nurseries. However, you should know this about fast growing trees. Nature uses them for a nurse crop. That is, when she is establishing a new forest, the fast growing trees are the first to take over from the brambles and grasses. In her scheme of things these trees are used to provide shade and shelter for the stronger growing or permanent trees which are to follow. "Fast growing trees” are relatively short lived and have soft wood which readily breaks under strong winds or heavy snow¬falls. If you use them you can expect to do a lot of pruning and bracing to keep them in shape, and this item will add considerably to your maintenance costs. It is much wiser to plant the stronger permanent varieties. And if rapid growth is essential, you might try feeding and watering to push them along. I made an observation on feeding a few years ago which would be more appropriate as a fish story than as a plant story, but I have every reason to believe it true.

"Some twenty or thirty years ago an inmate of one of our local old folks homes heard that the institution was going to set out a dozen English Walnut trees the following Spring. With much ceremony he approached the governors and asked for the privilege of planting one half of the lot personally. His request was granted. He promptly pro¬ceeded to the kitchen of this rather large institution and made a deal with the cook to place all meat bones in a special container which he offered to keep empty. Before frost set in that Fall, he had his six holes dug, and as the story was told tome, he dug them six feet wide and six feet deep. All Winter long he carried the bones to his holes and by Spring they were well filled and prepared for planting.” I was called into this institution a few years ago, and in making a survey I discovered that there were twelve English Walnut trees planted at equal spaces on the edge of a semi-circular drive. One quarter segment of this drive had six trees all about the same size in trunk and height, and the other seg¬ment had six trees which were more than twice the size of the latter in trunk and height. I cannot recommend this method to you, but it is the most conclusive proof of the value of fertilizing and preparation that I have ever seen.

The natural laws are not at all confined to vegetated material. Several of your cemeteries will contain water features, or perhaps you are con¬templating a lake or a pool. A few observations of the natural may be helpful to you in reducing future maintenance problems. Most of you will see Niagara Falls while you are here. That is, I hope you can still pick it out from all of the formal gardens, power plants and bridges they have built down there. Note the Gorge and particularly how water and ice are cutting it back. The rock is receding in measurable quantities and some time way off in the future you will see that Niagara Falls is coming to Buffalo. For our purposes however, all we need to observe is that one of the largest plugs or natural dams in the world is wearing away through the effects of water. This is one of the reasons for the geological expression that "all lakes are disappearing". It is true of course that when the Niagara plug is entirely worn away, Lake Erie will disappear. Wisconsin has lakes that are in the late stages of completing their disappearing act. Some of you no doubt have seen them and also observed the part played in the disappearing process by vegetated growth. After the plugs are well worn away, the shallow waters that remain provide a natural environ¬ment for many water plants. As these plants complete their life cycle they deposit a residue which eventually piles up and changes the lake to a bog, and then fills it completely.

One more observation that is pertinent to water can be observed by viewing the Delta of the Mississippi which is simply the sediment de¬posited at the mouth of the river. The principle here is that water in motion will sustain a silt load but as it stops flowing, it dumps its load. This is not only found in large rivers, such as the Mississippi, but also in small rivers, creeks, and streams. All of these factors that is the plug or the dam, vegetated growth and sediment are important to you and measures should be taken to guard against them if you hope to retain your lake without undue maintenance cost. The plug or dam can be designed to withstand the pressures of the lake for your practicable pur¬poses but it should be designed by competent technical personnel and not be left to chance, for the volume and rate of flow of water, develops almost unbelievable pressure variables. To abate vegetated growth we return to nature again and discover that few water plants will grow beyond limited depths. Therefore, if we make the bottom of our lake deep enough we will avoid troublesome plant growths, or inversely, if we want a bog, we purposely make the lake shallow. Here is another observation regarding vegetated growth in water which we derive this time from man's operation rather than nature. You from the State of Missouri may have heard rumors that there is not much hope of sustaining fish life in your Lake of the Ozarks, which you know, is a beautiful arti¬ficial body of water some ninety miles long, caused by the erection of a power dam. One of the reasons that there is concern over the fish life in the lake is simply that there is a lack of vegetated growth establishing itself to produce fish foods. These artificial reservoirs which are erected for power purposes necessitate a draw down of the water level periodical¬ly, and experiences with them to date would indicate that plant life can¬not sustain itself under fluctuating water levels. This finding should have some application in the smaller artificial lakes. Sediment can be abated by building check dams in the stream that feeds the lake and planting the water sheds. If the dam is designed to drain the lake, it will be possible to fluctuate water levels and remove much of the sediment which accumu¬lates on the bottom by leaving the gates open during periods of heavy rainfall.

I have attempted to point out to you a few of the pitfalls that can be avoided in the development and maintenance of your cemetery land¬scapes, principally in the interest of keeping your maintenance costs at a minimum. To summarize - Maintenance costs can be reduced if: We treat our soils properly and do not buy just "dirt": If we hold to the policy of using only hardy materials and avoid fast growers: And, if we provide our artificial lakes with dams that will hold, and drains which will allow for fluctuation in water level and clearing or removing the sediment.

In closing, I should like to suggest a method of operation affecting your relations with your Landscape Architect. When you engage his services you expect that he has a sound knowledge in the fundamental forces underlying the natural, and he knows how to use it. You expect him to use his art to produce pleasant landscapes. You expect that he understands structural requirements and can prepare working drawings. That he has considerable knowledge of plants and how to handle them, and that he will thoroughly acquaint himself with your functional needs and design, primarily for salable cemetery lots. These are his qualifica¬tions if he is a Landscape Architect. All of these qualifications however, are principally for development purposes. He can also help you with your maintenance if he is given the opportunity to inspect your cemetery periodically after the development program is completed. Most Land¬scape Architects are engaged for development purposes, but I believe they would be of greater value to you if engaged primarily as consultants. Place your Landscape Architect on an annual retainer fee basis, for which he is to provide a definite number of consultations annually. His fee will be nominal and many times will not amount to as much as the cost of one laborer. Make it clear to him that you want his advice on how to improve your landscape by using what you have rather than his opinions on suitable major improvement programs. Make it clear that you want him to frankly tell you not to undertake a development when in his opinion your gains will not be commensurate with the costs involved. His recommendations cautioning you against certain developments will often be as valuable as his recommendations to undertake others.

From the publication:
“1940-1941 Cemetery Handbook & Buyers’ Guide”
ACOA 11th Annual Convention & Exposition
Hotel Statler, Buffalo, New York
September 8-11, 1940