ON TREES AND SHRUBS ABOUT THE HOUSE 

 AND PLEASURE GROUNDS. 



As it will be necessary, in the course of this work, frequently to use various 

 terms for planting, in order that they may be better understood, I am desirous 

 to lay down in advance a sort of rule for such terms. I consider that trees 

 arranged in numbers together — say, from two to ten, — should be designated 

 as " a group ;" from ten to twenty, " a massive, or large group ;" and upwards 

 of twenty, if standing unbroken, " a mass." When the plantation covers a 

 \\w acres, we will call it " a wood ;" and " a forest," when the wooded scenery 

 is extensive. A continuity of scattered trees is generally termed " a grove ;" 

 a mass, composed of trees and bushes, so as not to be readily penetrated, is 

 termed "a thicket;" a round, or oval, compact number of trees is termed 

 " a clump " — Sir Uvedale Price says, " a better thing would be to pronounce 

 the word without the first letter." 



I have before stated, when treating on the situations adapted for 

 residences, that trees are of the utmost importance for shelter and effect. 

 Wherever it is practicable, a wood, or a considerable wooded mass, should 

 be planted behind the house, so as to produce a good background, and also 

 in such other places as will interfere as little as possible with the principal 

 views to be obtained from it. But where shelter is of consequence, prospects, 

 or views, must be of secondary consideration ; and, therefore, whether there 

 are existing trees, or trees to be planted, in order to preserve comfort, we 

 must content ourselves with telescopic or partial views from the windows, 

 along narrow vistas, so as to bring into immediate view the most interesting 

 objects, and yet command the rest from various parts of the walks and 

 pleasure grounds, as we best can. In some cases it may be enough to clear 

 away the lower branches from some of the trees which interrupt these views, so 



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