112 



GARDEN MANAGEMENT. 



preserved. Grass walks are not so common as they were. On well-drained 

 lawns the whole surface becomes a walk at pleasure, and grass walks ought 

 never to be depended upon as necessary routes to or from any given place. 

 When of great length, and 12 or 18 feet wide, however, they have a noble 

 eflect. The late Mr. Loudon recommends, where there is much traffic on 

 grass walks, that their bottom should be formed with stone, as if for gravel ; 

 but it will be more satisfactory to make good gravel walks for the general 

 trafiBc, and reserve the grass walks for delightful promenades in fine weather. 

 '247. In reference to statues, rustic houses, bridges, &c., which are oftei'i 

 mors attractive at a distance than enjoyable when reached, Shenstone's 

 principle of the eye and foot reaching them by a different route may be often 

 applicable. Occasional ruins and bridges may be introduced to please the eye^ 



IKOX EEIDGE rOK A PAKE. 



that are never intended to be reached by the foot at all : it is bad taste, 

 however, to erect a bridge where there is no water, or other apparent reason 

 for its existence, apart from its mere effect upon the landscape ; but wherever 

 the nature of the ground requues a bridge, a distant view of it ought to be 

 obtained, as few objects can be made more effective in a landscape. Viewed 

 at a distance, the mind contemplates its features of beauty only; as we 

 approach it, considerations regarding its strength and security predomi- 

 nate. Hence, every bridge in a pleasure-ground, whether formed of iron, 

 stone, or wood, of the most elaborate architectural design or the rudest rustic 

 form, should not only be, but appear at first sight to be, perfectly safe ; if 

 there is the slightest doubt on this ground, the whole pleasure of the scene 

 will be lost. Of whatever form or substance the sides of the bridge are made, 

 they should be so high as to prevent any danger of falling over, and so close 

 together that neither child nor dog can fall through. Approaches to a bridg<j 

 through a raised archway, as in the design at the head of this chapter, ara 

 admissible in certa'n cases. 



C48. Statues are also admissible in garden scenery, and should be large, as 

 they are most effective when viewed at a distance ; consequently, the outline 

 of their form should be bold, the drapery rough, and the figure so com- 

 manding as to assume its proper proportions at a distance of from 50 to 

 100 yards fi'om the spectator. The best materials are stone, bronze, iron, and 

 lead, the two latter painted to resemble stone. They are sometimes very 

 effective in alcoves, summer-houses, &c., and sometimes impart the charm of 

 sudden sm-prise as termini to winding paths. 



