Sir:—At your request and under your guidance we have made such examination of the property lately coming under the charge of your Board, as we have thought necessary to justify an expression of our professional judgment upon the question of its availability and value as a place of public recreation.

This question at once suggests a consideration of the provisions commonly made elsewhere for the same purpose; more especially in the parks of our larger cities. In a general survey of these, certain common characteristics are so obvious that the term park-like is in general use, as descriptive of a particular character of scenery. The principal elements of park-like scenery are broad, level or gently undulating, areas of smooth, clean turf, bordered by trees with low and spreading branches standing singly and in groups, and interspersed with objects of a decorative character, either natural, as when in the form of flowering shrubs, or artificial, as when in elegant structures, all in a finely dressed condition.

The most striking circumstance of your property is that, although nearby populous and flourishing communities, much of it is in a state of undisturbed nature and, as a whole, it is in a singularly wild, rugged and rude condition. Hardly [753]any of it has been under tillage and were it not for the trees growing spontaneously upon it, it would be a desert. The reason it has been allowed to remain of such a character is found in the outcropping ledges and the bowlders and gravel with which its surface is strewn.

For the same reason you cannot hope to make it ever take on a “parklike” character. If you attempt it the result will be poor and will be obtained at preposterous cost. Nor can you hope ever to introduce decorative features of the sort commonly expected to be seen in parks in such a manner that they will not be discordant with the general character of the scenery and offensive to good taste. Should you be offered a gift of half a million dollars with a condition that it should be applied to such objects it would be a great extravagance to accept it.

Because of the hopelessness of making the property park-like, and, because, being unparklike in other particulars, the decorative features commonly seen in parks would appear fussy and impertinent, everywhere jarring upon the natural scenery, there is danger that the value of the property, as a place of public recreation, will fail to be realized, and that means of profitably adding to its value will be grudged.

To lessen this danger it will be well to consider wherein lies the intrinsic value of public parks. Mainly, a park is valuable to a city, as it offers those resorting to it opportunity to escape with little trouble or cost from their ordinary artificial surroundings. To escape, that is to say, from the neighborhood of objects associated with common conditions of fatigue, wear and tear, and nervous irritation, to others as much as possible foreign to them.

That the scenery offered in parks is not generally, to any great extent, of a rugged and wild forest aspect, is not because such scenery would not be valuable for the purpose of a park, but because, when, in the history of a city, ground comes to be selected for a park, no considerable area can be found within a convenient distance within which a rugged, wild and forest-like character, if it ever existed, has not been destroyed, either for industrial purposes or with the object of adapting portions of the ground to dwelling places, in which these qualities would conflict with domestic convenience. Moreover, it is not often possible to find, near a town, any larger area from within which buildings or artificial constructions, lying outside of it, do not force themselves undesirably upon the attention of visitors. For these and other reasons, in most city parks, an excess of human and artificial elements has been found unavoidable. This being the case, a sense of fitness, congruity and becomingness requires a degree of elegance, finish and neatness, in all that comes under the eye in ordinary city parks, that would otherwise be unnecessary to a satisfactory result.

The advantage of your property, with reference to the same general purpose of supplying a place of refreshing and restful relief from scenery associated with the more wearing part of the life of towns-people, is found in the circumstance that it consists of a series of elevations so disposed about a comparatively depressed area that from most points within its boundaries nothing can be seen of all that lies beyond its boundaries. Though rugged and rocky it is well-watered [754]and densely wooded. The broken topography of the region about it and other circumstances will aid to prevent in the future, as in the past, intrusions from without upon its scenery. The extent of the property is such that with reasonable care and skill all essential accommodations may be provided for the use of it by the public without any marked disturbance of its natural character. As it stands it offers rare opportunities for those forms of recreation which experience shows to be of the most use to the great body of the people of a city. Under good management its value, in this respect, can be greatly increased. Such good management need not be costly. What is mainly required is that a method of improvement shall be pursued steadily, systematically, continuously, for a series of years. It need employ but a small force, provided this force is constantly employed and is directed unwaveringly to the accomplishment of certain specific objects.

Of these objects the most important will be the gradual thinning of the native forest, the less promising trees being taken out, leaving those selected to remain to have a larger share of fertility, moisture, air and light, with which advantage they would gradually give the entire forest a character much more impressive and more effective for the purpose of public recreation.

Next in importance would be the introduction, at numerous points, of new vegetation of various kinds, and with a view to different objects of detail. In some cases this would be for the covering of places which, by reason of sterility and hard exposure, are comparatively dreary of aspect, plants being wanted under such circumstances, either that, once started, will flourish under the required conditions, or plants, which growing from occasional small deposits of soil, will spread over and hide large and forlorn intermediate spaces.

In other cases the object in view would be the gradual replacing, in damp places, of the comparatively sickly plants now growing in them by others better adapted to flourish in such localities. In yet others, the aim would be to enlarge, strengthen and emphasize a local character due to an existing growth by adding to that growth and removing growths that are now weakening to the character in question.

A few men kept at work with motives such as these, removing that which, if it remains, will be harmful to a desirable character; replacing it with that which will be helpful, will gradually add greatly to the intrinsic value of the property.

We urge this element of management because the sooner it is entered upon the less will be the cost of results of a given value that can only be obtained by a steady course of operations for a series of years. Roads and walks, bridges, shelters and other constructions, may be obtained within a given short time, when set about. The difficulty of obtaining what is wanted in them is not increased by postponing outlay for it.

Your obedient servants,