114 Landscape Gardening 



preferable, of good masonry laid in water cement. After 

 a head is thus formed it must be concealed entirely from 

 the eye by covering it both upon the top and sides with 

 natural rocks and stones of various sizes, so ingeniously 

 disposed, as ip appear fully to account for, or be the cause 

 of the water-fall. 



The axe of the original backwoodsman appears to have 

 left such a mania for clearing behind it, even in those 

 portions of the Atlantic states where such labor should be 

 for ever silenced, that some of our finest places in the 

 country will be found much desecrated and mutilated by 

 its careless and unpardonable use; and not only are fine 

 plantations often destroyed, but the banks of some of our 

 finest streams and prettiest rivulets partially laid bare by 

 the aid of this instrument, guided by some tasteless hand. 

 Wherever fine brooks or water courses are thus mutilated, 

 one of the most necessary and obvious improvements is to 

 reclothe them with plantations of trees and underwood. 

 In planting their banks anew, much beauty and variety 

 can often be produced by employing different growths, 

 and arranging them as we have directed for the margins of 

 lakes and ponds. In some places where easy, beautiful 

 slopes and undulations of ground border the streams, gravel, 

 soft turf, and a few simple groups of trees, will be the most 

 natural accompaniments; in others where the borders of 

 the stream are broken into rougher, more rocky, and pre- 

 cipitous ridges, all the rich wildness and intricacy of low 

 shrubs, ferns, creeping and climbing plants, may be brought 

 in to advantage. Where the extent to be thus improved is 

 considerable, the trouble may be lessened by planting the 

 larger growth, and sowing the seeds of the smaller plants 

 mingled together. Prepare the materials, and time and 

 nature, with but little occasional assistance, will mature, 

 and soften, and blend together the whole, in their own 

 matchless and inimitable manner. 



From all that we have suggested in these limited remarks, 

 it will be seen that we would only attempt in our opera- 

 tions with water, the graceful or picturesque imitations of 



