THE ANNUAL MEETING. 125 



the characters of the plants introduced for ornamentation, the gravest errors 

 are often committed, which become painfully evident when too late to correct 

 the mistakes. 



No, my friends, he who now appears before you is not even a "land-scrap- 

 ist" — much less does he claim to be a master of the high art of the landscape 

 gardener ; he proposes only to indicate the necessity for more of the art for 

 our cemeteries, and he ventures to offer a few suggestions before this intelli- 

 gent body of horticulturists, upon a subject of great importance to our reputa- 

 tion as a people of aesthetic tastes. This is done, however, hesitatingly and 

 rather as an amateur than as a true connoisseur. He has been painfully 

 impressed by the gross mistakes which may frequently be detected in works of 

 this class, even where abundant means have been expended, and often 

 squandered, through the lack of taste and the want of knowledge in those to 

 whom the execution had been intrusted. * * * * From the first designing of 

 the plan and arrangement of the ground, the essential element of success is 

 good taste, which should never be lost sight of. And, though such work is 

 necessarily artificial, it must be in closest imitation of Nature. Such, indeed, 

 is the lexicographer's definition of the art, and thus also it is evident that the 

 immortal Bard of Avon understood this when he wrote : 



"This is an art that cloth mend Nature— change it rather — but the art is Nature." 



The range of landscape-gardening is great, since it descends, on the one 

 hand, to the planning of the limited door-yard of a city lot to the arrangement 

 of the farm house and out-buildings, with the location of the lawn, garden 

 and orchard, or to the planting and ornamentation of the railway station, or 

 to the planting of avenues on the highways, and, on the other hand, it extends 

 to the broader area of the rural cemetery, or to the still wider limits of the 

 great park. 



Landscape-gardening has a broad scope and requires an extended, knowledge 

 of many things. It embraces a familiarity with architecture, to enable the 

 artist to direct the planning and construction of suitable buildings, gateways, 

 bridges, terraces, arches, kiosks, obelisks, pavilions, and other ornamental 

 structures. It requires as its fundamental basis the ability to design the grad- 

 ing and to direct the execution of the earth-working, the arrangements of land 

 and water generally, and especially the drainage of the soil and the manage- 

 ment of the result in rills, cascades, basins, lakes, and fountains. It necessi- 

 tates the accurate surveys for all this, and also for properly locating the drives 

 and walks, with their thorough construction, so that they may be of easy grades, 

 smooth and dry, neither dusty nor muddy. 



Grass, in a close green turf, is a necessity in all landscaping. This requires 

 a knowledge of the kinds best adapted to the various soils, and the treatment 

 most conducive to the perfect verdure and condition of each kind. 



Trees and shrubs, singly and in groups, claim a high rank in the materiel of 

 the landscape-gardener. For their proper selection and disposition it is essen- 

 tial that he should be perfectly familiar with their requirements as to soil and 

 management, as well as with their habit, form, or outline, their relative size 

 and height, as well as with the peculiar tint and disposition of their foliage, 

 whether deciduous or evergreen. These remarks are especially applicable to 

 the trees which are to be set singly to display their peculiar beauties and future 

 grandeur, whether in the open spaces of the park or in the broad umbrageous 

 avenues, which may be introduced with fine effect in parts of an extensive park 

 or its approaches. But who shall venture to make the selection unless per- 



