LANDSCAPE AND ECONOMIC PLANTING, 327 



1. The Ornamental Planting of the Grounds arotmcl a Countri/ 

 Residence, or in the Home Park. 



As this is a branch of the subject which may be moi'e parti- 

 cularly ^defined under the name of " Landscape Gardening," the 

 sphere of operation is necessarily circumscribed, and has con- 

 sequently to be dealt with as distinct from the larger question. 



The object of the distribution of woods, plantations, etc., in a 

 home park may be said to be of a purely decorative or ornamental 

 description, and while the principles of general utility must 

 always be kept in view, they do not form so large a considei^ation 

 as the question of creating a beautiful picture which shall be 

 pleasing from various points of observation. 



The diihculties which ^jresent themselves to the landscape 

 gardener in the carrying out of this are sometimes very great. 

 While he is an artist supposed to execute a natural picture in 

 accordance with the principles of good taste, he has at the same 

 time often to create a picture, pleasing to a certain individual, his 

 employer, who may not agree with him as to what is good taste. 

 As already pretty fully adverted to, however, taste is an emotional 

 quality of the mind, and therefore subject to many different altera- 

 tions, in proportion (1.) to the constitution of the mental condition 

 at given times ; and (2.) to the various circumstances which from 

 time to time may affect it ; and consequently it is obvious that 

 while there are certain very distinct lines by which the successful 

 operator must be guided, he in many cases must make these 

 subservient to the necessary variations of each particular case. 



It would be trespassing too much on the patience of the reader 

 to go into details on this point, beyond merely adverting to it in 

 passing. Moreover, our chief object is shortly to give some 

 practical hints for general application, rather than to go into 

 the theoretical phases of the subject, and delineate, as near as we 

 can, the lines upon which the planter ought to proceed in adorning 

 a home park. 



The first consideration is the nature and extent of the ground 

 which has to be treated, and the situation of the mansion-house, 

 or main object from which the different views of the effect are to be 

 observed. This, therefore, being the point of greatest importance, 

 it should be the centre from which the main body of the planta- 

 tions should radiate, and while these need not be continuous, they 



