CHAPTER Vlll. 



FINISH. 



Both richness and polish will, to a certain extent, be the 

 result of keeping. . . . Extreme thinness of plants in 

 beds slvirtinga lawn, an inferior order of phmts in the neigh* 

 borhood of the house or by the sides of tlie grass glades, and 

 tlie use of comnionphice or uncongenial ornaments, are 

 inconsistent with richness. Edward Kemp. 



No one will have read so far as this chapter without 

 having observed the outline which the text attempts to 

 follow. As indicated in that outline, it has been con- 

 ceived that there are five distinct artistic qualities, in 

 which any ornamental j^lanting may be good or bad. 

 These are unity, variety, character, propriety and finish. 

 These are all in some degree essential ; but it will strike 

 the reader at once that they are not all equally impor- 

 tant. Those things which are here included under the 

 unsatisfactory term ^^ finish," are not of such paiT«mount 

 ard continual necessity as those discussed under unity, 

 for instance. And yet one may understand, without 

 puzzling, that any sort of an art composition may 

 answer all the requirements thus far set forth, and yet 

 fail to yield a due satisfaction because it lacks a pains- 

 taking finish. Besides, one may note this defect in 

 the concrete Duly too easily among jiictures, books or 

 landscapes. 



In gardening, finish means several tilings, some of 

 which we may designate here. In the first place, it 

 requires good specimens. All the plants employed must 

 be good of their kind ; the minor groups must be good ; 

 and the masses must be good. The individual plants 

 must be excellent in proportion to their conspicuousness. 

 If 41 single specimen of some rare and striking species 



66 



