AUCHINCRUIVE 



The mild climate of south-western Scotland is most advantageous for 

 gardening. Hydrangeas and Myrtles flourish, Fuchsias grow into bushes 

 eight to ten feet high. Mr. Oswald's garden lies upon the river Ayr, a 

 few miles distant from the town of Ayr. The house stands boldly on a 

 crag just above the river, which makes its music below, tumbling over 

 rocky shelves and rippling over shingle-bedded shallows. For nearly a 

 mile the garden follows the river bank, in free fashion as befits the place. 

 Trees are in plenty and of fine growth, both on the garden side and the 

 opposite river shore. Here and there an opening in the trees on the 

 further shore shows the distant country. The garden occupies a large space ; 

 the grouping of the shrubs and trees taking a wilder character in the 

 portions furthest away from the house, so that, mingling at last with native 

 growth, garden gradually dies away into wild. Large undulating lawns 

 give a sense of space and freedom and easy access. 



That close, fine turf of the gardens of Britain is a thing so familiar to 

 the eye that we scarcely think what a wonderful thing it really is. When 

 we consider our flower and kitchen gardens, and remember how much 

 labour of renewal they need — renewal not only of the plants themselves, 

 but of the soil, in the way of manurial and other dressings ; and when 

 we consider all the digging and delving, raking and hoeing that must 

 be done as ground preparation, constantly repeated ; and then when we 

 think again of an ancient lawn of turf, perhaps three hundred years old, 

 that, except for moving and rolling, has, for all those long years, taken care 

 of itself; it seems, indeed, that the little closely interwoven plants of 

 grass are things of wonderful endurance and longevity. The mowing 



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