PREFACE 



Paris parks, and in our own country by 

 surveyors and others whose training often 

 wholly unfits them for the study of the 

 elements of beautiful landscape. Thus we 

 do not often see good examples of picturesque 

 garden and park design, while bad work 

 is common. Everywhere unhappily, even 

 in England, the home of landscape garden- 

 ing the too frequent presence of stupid 

 work in landscape gardening offers some 

 excuse for the two reactionary books which 

 have lately appeared books not worth 

 notice for their own sake, as they contri- 

 bute nothing to our knowledge of the beau- 

 tiful art of gardening or garden design. 

 But so many people suppose that artistic 

 matters are mere questions of windy argii- 

 ment, that I think it well to show by 

 English gardens and country seats of to-day 

 that the many sweeping statements of their 

 authors may be disproved by reference to 

 actual things, to be seen by all who care 



