92 Landscape Gardening 



without verging into rapid turns or formal stiffness. Since 

 the modern style has become partially known and adopted 

 here, some persons appear to have supposed that nature 

 "has a horror of straight lines," and consequently, believ- 

 ing that they could not possibly err, they immediately ran 

 into the other extreme, filling their grounds with zig-zag 

 and regularly serpentine roads, still more horrible: which 

 can only be compared to the contortions of a wounded 

 snake dragging its way slowly over the earth. 



There are two guiding principles which have been laid 

 down for the formation of approach roads. The first, that 

 the curves should never be so great, or lead over surfaces 

 so unequal, as to make it disagreeable to drive upon them; 

 and the second, that the road should never curve without 

 some reason, either real or apparent. 



The most natural method of forming a winding approach 

 where the ground is gently undulating, is to follow, in some 

 degree, the depressions of surface, and to curve round the 

 eminences. This is an excellent method, so long as it does 

 not lead us in too circuitous a direction, nor, as we before 

 hinted, make the road itself too uneven. When either of 

 these happens, the easy, gradual flow of the curve in the 

 proper direction, must be maintained by levelling or grading, 

 to produce the proper surface. 



Nothing can be more unmeaning than to see an approach, 

 or any description of road, winding hither and thither, 

 through an extensive level lawn, towards the house, with- 

 out the least apparent reason for the curves. Happily, 

 we are not, therefore, obliged to return to the straight line; 

 but gradual curves may always be so arranged as to appear 

 necessarily to wind round the groups of trees, which other- 

 wise would stand in the way. Wherever a bend in the road 

 is intended, a cluster or group of greater or less size and 

 breadth proportionate to the curve, should be placed in the 

 projection formed. These trees, as soon as they attain 

 some size, if they are properly arranged, we may suppose 

 to have originally stood there, and the road naturally to 

 have curved, to avoid destroying them. 



