I04 The Art of Landscape Gardening 



dotting. But I conceive the two latter ought rather to 

 be considered as cause and effect than as two distinct 

 ideas of improvement, for the disagreeable and artificial 

 appearance of young trees, when protected by what is 

 called a cradle fence, together with the difficulty of making 

 them grow thus exposed to the wind, induced Mr. 

 Brown to form small clumps fenced round, containing 

 a number of trees calculated to shelter each other and 

 to promote the growth of those few which might be 

 ultimately destined to remain and form a group. This 

 I apprehend was the origin and intention of those 

 clumps, and that they never were designed as ornaments 

 in themselves, but as the most efficacious and least dis- 

 gusting manner of producing single trees and groups to 

 vary the surface of a lawn, and break its uniformity by 

 light and shadow. 



In some situations, where great masses of wood and 

 a large expanse of open lawn prevail, the contrast is too 

 violent, and the mind becomes dissatisfied by the want 

 of unity. We are never well pleased with a composition 

 in natural landscape, unless the wood and lawn are so 

 blended that the eye cannot trace the precise limits of 

 either, yet it is necessary that each should preserve its 

 original character in broad masses of light and shadow; 

 for although a large wood may be occasionally relieved 

 by clearing small openings to break the heaviness of 

 the mass, or vary the formality of its outline, yet the 

 general character of shade must not be destroyed. 



In like manner the too great expanse of light on 

 a lawn must be broken and diversified by occasional 

 shadow, but if too many trees be introduced for this 

 purpose, the effect becomes frittered, and the eye is 

 offended by a deficiency of composition, or, as the 

 painter would express it, of a due breadth of light and 



