PLAN BEFORE P L A N TIX G. 



79 



or beauty, which have been completely shut out of \ie\v by planta- 

 tions of trees and shrubs, in consequence of the ill-directed zeal 

 of the master or mistress of the house 

 to fill "our yard" with beautiful things. F'f^ '"^ 



Fig. 1 8 is a view out of the narrow side- 

 light of a friend's bay-window. It scarcely 

 takes in more than an eighth of a rood 

 of his own ground, and yet makes a 

 charming outlook, over an animated river, 

 to distant fields, and homes, and fine 

 trees, of which the engraving gives but n 

 bare suggestion. A single tree, or a 

 group of shrubs planted in the wrong 

 place, would have shut out, completely, 

 this pleasant picture. 



It cannot be too strongly impressed 

 on the reader's mind, that most grounds, and all that are nearly 

 level, can be much better arranged on paper, where all parts are un- 

 der the eye at the same moment, than upon the ground, while planting. 

 Beginning to erect a house before a plan has been made, is not 

 more sure of begetting blunders, than beginning to plant in the 

 same way ; and though the blunders of misplanting may not be 

 so costly, they are certain in the end to be quite as unsightly. 



We would by no means recommend every man to be the plan- 

 ner of his own grounds, if competent garden artists are to be had ; 

 but in the absence of such, and on the supposition that we are 

 addressing men and women studious of culture in the art, who 

 may, by dint of such study, and pondering over their own dear 

 home-plan, do something better for themselves than the common 

 run of such vegetable gardeners as they can find can do for them, 

 we would only endeavor to aid them in the attempt. And we 

 firmly believe that a knowledge of the best arts of gardening will 

 be increased by recommending, to educated men and women, the 

 careful study and maturing of their own plans. The first result of 

 such labor will be to elevate their conceptions of the range of gar- 

 dening art, to impress them with their own ignorance, and to 

 enable them to better appreciate, and therefore set a higher value 



