Besides the effect on one’s love for cleanliness and beauty, it breeds disease—­and so public sanitation was added to the civic league work.

In some cities the societies are taking up the work of smoke abatement.  I might say that we have a few offending chimneys in our own city beautiful.  Every member of the city council should be a member of the civic league, for much more could be done by co-operation.  There is great need of the civic improvement league and park board working together, for their aim is one—­to make the city beautiful.

The work that gives the most beauty to the city after the good foundation of cleanliness, public sanitation and removal of public nuisances is that done in the parks.  I am glad cities are making larger appropriations for parks, and I hope our city will have more in the future, for there are great possibilities of making our city not only a city beautiful, but a most beautiful city.  Parks should be well lighted, playgrounds for children are almost a necessity, the river banks should be kept clean—­but most of all the natural beauties of a place must be preserved and trees should be planted.  Shade is needed as a good background.  There is nothing that will enhance a beautiful statue, fountain or other park ornament like a setting of good trees.

If possible to have it there is no more attractive spot in a park than a lily pool.  The old idea of laying out parks according to some geometrical pattern is giving way to the development of walk lines of practical use, recognizing both traffic requirements and the desirability of location for numerous park benches.  What will lend more charm to a park than a beautiful drive bordered with noble trees leading up to some focal point or opening a way to some particular vista that would otherwise be lost!

The park board should not limit its work to parks alone, but wherever there is a spot, triangle corner or any other kind of available place, there should be planted shrubs or flower beds.  They soon become a public pride and cheer many passersby.  We have a number of bright spots in our city, beginning in the spring with a beautiful bed of tulips.  May another year bring us many more!  One forgets the mud and the disagreeable days of spring in watching the bulbs thrust their little pointed noses through the cold earth and the development of the buds until they burst open into a blaze of color, flaunting their gorgeous heads in a farewell to old winter and giving a cheery welcome to the coming summer.

BEE-KEEPER’S COLUMN.

Conducted by FRANCIS JAGER, Professor of Apiculture, University Farm, St. Paul.

If not already done the beekeeper should at once make his final preparations towards a successful wintering of bees.  There are several conditions under which the bees winter well, all of which are more or less understood.  The chief of these are a strong colony of young bees, sufficient amount of good stores, and the proper place to keep the bees.