174 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETV. 



present, and in a maimer that will always he acceptable. And is it 

 not true that, in some places under such influence as I have indi- 

 cated, we witness in our visits a piece of mere heteroijeneous botch 

 work ; where trees, shrubs, plants, and flowers are huddled in to- 

 gether, without any regard to habit of growth, taste in arrangement, 

 or anything else? And this is called landscape gardening ! And 

 when these trees, shrubs, etc. are grown up, who can wonder that 

 even tlie ordinary man who does his own thinking is dissatisfied? 

 I think it is not difllcult to see how it is that some other places 

 look better than such as these. 



Of course every cemetery has an entrance of some kind ; and 

 let me say, right here, this is the very place where a diligent care 

 of the grounds should be at once apparent. Our visitors are 

 brought there b}' no ordinary circumstance of life ; and we should 

 always be careful that their first impression is cheerful and 

 pleasant. I would make it so attractive, and keep it so neat, that 

 the thoiiglits and emotions of the person would at once be relieved 

 of gloom, and refreshed by the joyful contemplation of a bright 

 and happ3' scene. 



Be sure of this first impression ; but do not stop here — do not 

 expend so much of your energies here that you must neglect the 

 rest of the grounds. Wherever 3'ou can plant a rare tree, or a 

 group of nice shrubs, or a bed of flowers, do so ; and do not let 

 the marble and granite monopolize tiie ground anywhere. 



A few weeks ago a friend asked me, " Do you ever go to such 

 a place? " " Yes, I have been there," was my answer. " Well," 

 he continued, " I was there a short time ago. The entrance 

 looked nice, and our expecLations were all excited ; but really that 

 was all there was to it ! " Now just imagine such a feeling — one 

 transient good impression at first, and nothing more. We want 

 a sustained in)i)ression ; good at first, and good all the wa}' 

 through. 



Most of our larger cemeteries have adopted the i)lan of setting 

 apart, at the sale of ever}' lot, a portion of the purchase money, 

 wiiifh shall constitute a fund for the perpetual care of the same. 

 The advanlages of this plan at once commend it to every pur- 

 chaser ; and it is greatly to be regretted, in the case of many of our 

 cemcter}' corporations, that they did not have foresigiit sufficient 

 to add this feature long ago. It will need no extended argu- 

 ment to convince every close observer that a provision for the per- 



