ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



2G1 



are equally called upon to reduce the tern- ! much cold as ever, so that we reduce their 

 perature gradually; nevertheless tlie rose [ temperature by degrees. So much for ac- 

 and the American plant will stand just as I climatizing. 



ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LANCSCAPE GARDENING. 



In a number, per last steamer, of the Chro- 

 nicle and Agricultural Gazette, the first 

 English horticultural periodical of the day, 

 edited by Professor Lindley, we find the 

 following article, which we copy, not for 

 the purpose of calling attention to the com- 

 mendation bestowed on one of our works, 

 but to throw a little light on the nature of 

 the criticism itself: 



John Bull looks at brother Jonathan 

 with a strange compound of feelings. He 

 dislikes him as a rival ; he loves him, and 

 is proud of him, as being, after all, of his 

 own flesh and blood. iiut whenever, in 

 science, art, or literature, Jonathan treads 

 rather sharply on the heels of John, the 

 said John bellows out must lustily. 



Of all the Arts in the Universe which 

 were likely to be the ground of competition 

 between progenitor and descendant. Land- 

 scape Gardening would, in this case, seem 

 to be the last. And yet, our American bre- 

 thren, so far from being behind iis in skill, 

 tnihusuisin or execution, seem to be taking 

 the lead most decidedly. Whatever books 

 our own Landscape Gardeners have put 

 forth, have been few and far between ; un- 

 til the time of Repton, they have rarely 

 been practical treatises : and the volume 

 which contains the whole of his publications 

 is rather a combination of separate essays, 

 than an elaborate and comprehensive trea- 

 tise on the whole subject — laying down 

 great principles — setting forth needful de- 

 tails — and alfounding in illustrations from 

 his own experience. But the date of his 

 last work, as originally published, is not 

 more recent than July, 1816. Between 

 that time and this, Landscape Gardening 

 has languished so greviously that no publi- 

 cation of any eminence has appeared. 



There is now lying before us a thick oc- 

 tavo volume of about 500 pages, entitled 



" A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of 

 Landscape Gardening, adapted to North 

 America." It is by "A. J. Downing, author 

 of 'Designs for Cottage Residences,' etc."* 

 The volume itself is beautifully got up. It 

 is full of admirably executed illustrations — 

 representing very numerous landscape gar- 

 dening and architectural effects. It had 

 reached its second edition in 1844, although 

 an expensive work : a consummation which 

 a similar treatise published in England bv 

 an English landscape gardener, could 

 scarcely have hoped to reach. It is a sin- 

 gular composition altogether. There is 

 much error in the reading of the past ; 

 there is a slavish admiration of the late 

 Mr. Loudon, who, whatever his merits in 

 other respects, was not only a very crotch- 

 etty man, but peculiarly so whenever he at- 

 tempted an approach to Landscape Garden- 

 ing ; and yet as might be expected from a 

 man of any talent, engaged in la3-ing out 

 beauties in scenery so singular, and even 

 sometimes wild, there is a vigor of thought 

 and a homely strength of expression, com- 

 bined with a correctness of taste, which 

 would put to shame many a professing 

 landscape gardener of the present day. 



As to his "Historical Sketches," of the 

 science in this country, the less said the 

 better. It is done clumsily, and abounds 

 in errors as to fact. It is when "his foot is 

 on his native heather," that he shakes ofl!' 

 every such encumbrance, and speaks out 

 plainly and well. At present we shall no- 

 tice nothing more than what we may term 

 his ground plan — the outline of his princi- 

 ples. These are summed up at the close 

 of his chapter " On the Beauties and Prin- 

 ciples of the Art ;" — " In this brief abstract 

 of the nature of imitation in Landscape 

 Gardening, and the kinds of beauty which 

 it is possible to produce by means of the 

 art, we have endeavored to elucidate its 



• Wiley and Puuiam, New- York and London, 1844. 



