CHAP. Vin.] LAYING OUT. 209 



what arrangement of colours will be best suited 

 to the form of the beds, &c. The colours, of 

 course, should be those usually found in flowers; 

 for example, yellow, scarlet, blue, pink, orange, 

 and purple : and they should be arranged, not 

 only with a view to effect, but with regard to 

 the practicability of filling the beds with suit- 

 able flowers. The colours above mentioned 

 may, however, generally be procured ; and a 

 bed of white flowers may be added at pleasure, 

 wherever it may appear necessary. 



To understand the best method of combining; 

 colours, it is necessary to know that there are 

 three primitive colours, blue, red, and yellow ; 

 and four compound ones, purple, green, orange, 

 and violet, each of which is composed of two of 

 the primitive colours. In arranging colours, the 

 great art is never to let a compound colour be 

 placed between the two primitive ones that com- 

 pose it ; as, for example, green should not be 

 placed between blue and yellow, or purple be- 

 tween red and blue, as the effect would be dis- 

 agreeable to the eye, and the colours would be 

 killed, that is, they w T ould lose their brilliancy. 

 On the contrary, it is found that each primitive 

 colour has a compound colour peculiarly suited to 

 it, which is composed of the other two primitive 

 colours. Thus the harmonising' colour of red is 

 green, which is composed of blue and yellow ; 

 of yellow, violet or purple, both which are com- 

 posed of blue and red; and of blue, orange, 

 which is a combination of red and yellow ; and 

 hence it will be found, that colours arranged 

 in this order will produce a more agreeable 

 effect to the eye than in any other succession. 



p 



