160 Landscape Gardening 







midst of undulations, and raising mounds on perfectly 

 smooth surfaces; in short, by regarding only the little he 

 wishes to do in his folly, and not studying the larger part 

 that nature has already done in her wisdom. As a common 

 though accidental illustration of this, we may notice that 

 the mere routine of tillage on a farm, has a tendency to 

 destroy natural beauty of surface by ridging up the soil at 

 the outsides of the field and thus breaking up that con- 

 tinuous flow of line which delights the eye. 



Our object in these remarks is simply to ask our readers 

 to think in the beginning, before they even commence any 

 improvements on the surface of ground which they wish to 

 embellish - - to think in what natural beauty really con- 

 sists, and whether in grading, they are not wasting money, 

 and losing that which they are seeking. It will be better 

 still, if they will consider the matter seriously, when they 

 are about buying a place, since, as we have before observed, 

 no money is expended with so little to show for it, and so 

 little satisfaction, as that spent in changing the original 

 surface of the ground. 



Practically the rules we would deduce are the following: 

 To select, always, if possible, a surface varied by gentle 

 curves and undulations. If something of this character 

 already exists, it may often be greatly heightened or im- 

 proved at little cost. Very often, too, a nearly level surface 

 may, by a very trifling addition, only adding a few inches in 

 certain points, be raised to a character of positive beauty, 

 by simply following the hints given by nature. 



When a surface is quite level by nature, we must usually 

 content ourselves with trusting to planting, and the arrange- 

 ment of walks, buildings, etc., to produce beauty and vari- 

 ety; and we would always, in such cases, rather expend 

 money in introducing beautiful vases, statues, or other works 

 of positive artistic merit, than to terrace and unmake what 

 character nature has stamped on the ground. 



Positively ugly and forbidding surfaces of ground, may be 

 rendered highly interesting and beautiful, only by changing 

 their character, entirely, by planting. Such ground, after 



