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11^ 



LANDSCAPE GAEDENING. 



Landscape gardening is a subject in which we are 

 -^- all interested. It is not an abstruse art, shut up 

 P' between the covers of expensive books. It is not 

 ^' dependent on the caprice of individuals, nor on the 

 ^fashion of the day. Its laws, like other good laws, 

 are consistent with that every-day mathematics — 

 common sense. It does not follow, however, that 

 these laws are understood by every, man of general 

 sound judgment. In fact, there is, perhaps, no sub- 

 ject on which sensible men act so irrationally, as the 

 treatment of their grounds. It is very easy to say 

 that the cause is ignorance. This is, in a sense, the 

 iG cause of all our imperfections, and mankind advances 

 'mainly by augmenting its stock of knowledge. But 

 ; the kind of ignorance in this case, is not unacquaint- 

 ^ ance with authors and systems, but misapprehension 

 ; as to the objects to be pursued. Some of these 

 -" objects we propose to point out, and we must first 

 (2 notice some of the prevaiHng misapprehensions. 

 ^ We will take first the mistake as to the point of 

 •^ view. Probably most people think that they arrange 



94 ! i 36 



