152 



considerably enhanced by permitting the eye to fall upon glades of grass, 

 varied with patches of ling, or whin, or other low growths. 



In a park, occasionally some of the plantings should form thickets by 

 the introduction of whins, thorns, hollies, rambling roses, blackthorns, and 

 honeysuckles, so as entirely to conceal the lawn or pasture from view, and 

 thus to create intricacy, variety, and force in the expression, which open 

 masses and groups do not fully effect. 



Parks are commonly belted, with a view to shut out either the pubhc 

 road or the boundary fence. To my mind, a continuity of belting in the 

 boundary of a park, unless its breadth be strikingly varied, is highly objec- 

 tionable. If the boundary, of whatever nature, be not sufficiently distant to 

 be inoffensive to the eye without a belt, the continued appearance of screen 

 planting must be avoided in the arrangement as much as possible. A good 

 deal may be done to accomplish this by judicious planting. About the 

 entrance the belt should be generally massive, and in other parts bold projec- 

 tions should occur, of from thirty to one hundred yards in extent, according 

 to the locality and to the magnitude of the place. Of course, a small park 

 must not be over-balanced with planting, but should have just enough to 

 destroy the formality of the belt, and thus to give an appearance, if possible, 

 of more extent of park than there is in reality. The belt must, of course, 

 be of various breadths ; and, that these variations may appear the more strik- 

 ing, groups of 

 different sizes 

 ought to be 

 planted ten or 

 twenty yards, 

 or even more, 

 in advance of 

 the prominent 

 parts. (Fig.te.) 

 The narrowest 

 parts of the 

 belt ought never to be less than ten yards wide, to complete a block. Where 

 it is possible to let the eye range beyond the boundary without falling upon 

 disagreeable objects, I would propose a varied strip of shrubby growth, just 



Figure 34. 



