ROADS BEAUTIFICATION.
The campaign against ugliness along American highways extends, appropriately at a time when much new highway construction is going on. In Missouri, as in Westchester County, New York, rights of way have been cleared of thousands of offending billboards and other signs. In addition, counties have entered into competition with counties, and towns with towns, in tree and shrub-planting contests. The State Highway Department has employed a landscape architect to supervise the landscaping of state highways and to give consultant services free to local com- munities and civic organizations. New highways under construction in Illinois have been designed particularly with an eye to giving them a pleasing alignment and making the most of natural beauty for those who use the roads. Connecticut is spending a substantial sum upon landscaping cuts, bridge sites, and abandoned sections of rights-of-way. Georgia, Delaware, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Massachusetts, and California, are strenuously attempting to rid their road- sides of litter, unsightly dumps and signs, and have appro- priated funds for landscaping. Nevertheless, the Federal Bureau of Public Roads considers that not nearly enough has been done and that, in landscaping, the United States is far behind Europe. Consequently, the Bureau is exerting its influence to have shade trees and shrubbery planted, wherever practicable, along the highways now under con- struction with the aid of Federal -
New York. IVY LEE.
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