PREFACE 



SOME subjects are the copyright of a single pen, 

 others invite the fancy and invention of many 

 writers. The garden, even more than the house 

 which it adorns, has in itself the seeds of such 

 infinite variety that we would not lose a single 

 volume from the growing library which is already 

 dedicated to its beauty. Few writers can be without 

 some useful thought to offer from their own experi- 

 ence, even if it be only to re-affirm an ancient 

 principle, which, planted anew on some fresh page, 

 may flower and bear fruit for many years to come. 



This volume does not attempt to take the place 

 of the architect or designer. It leaves, too, the 

 choice of flowers and shrubs to the reader and his 

 advisers, and deals entirely with the problems of 

 lay-out, the general effect and the proper relation- 

 ship of all parts of a garden to the whole. It 



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