COUNTKY VILLAS. 1G5 



of art applied to garden scenery will scarcely credit how easy it is by it to 

 conceal one walk from another closely adjoining it ; and what a magical eflect 

 may be produced in a very small space by this kind of landscape gardening. 



255. On varied surfaces, the general principles which we have laid down 

 for the direction of walks must be taken in connexion with the principle of 

 displaying to advantage such distant views as are considered good, and dis- 

 guising or concealing such as are indifferent or bad. The object is, to show 

 as many handsome landscapes as possible, and to conceal all disagreeable 

 objects. Thus, the walks which are conducted round any place should, as 

 already observed, p. 157., conduct to all the fine and striking points of view; 

 so that, while none of these escape the attention of the spectator, no inhar- 

 monious or offensive object obtrudes itself on his notice. 



256. The breadth of pleasure-ground walks may bear some proportion to the 



size of the place ; though they should seldom be narrower than 6 ft., and, 



except in the immediate neighbourhood of the house, should rarely be broader 



than 12 ft. In general, there ought to be a main walk proceeding from the 



house, and making, as it were, the tour of the place; and this walk, even in 



small residences, may commence at the house in a terrace parallel to the 



walks, and 10 ft. or 12 ft., or more, in breadth; and branch out to the right 



and left into main walks, comn^encing of the width of the terrace, or nearly 



so, and gradually diminishing, till they are at such a distance from the house 



as not to be seen by the eye of the spectator from the terrace, where they 



need not exceed the width of 6 ft. or 7 ft. ; which width may be continued 



throughout the remainder of their length. This is done in the grounds at 



Ken Wood, views of which are given in an after part of this work ; and the 



effect is at once to increase the grandeur of the scenery about the house, and 



to add to the apparent grandeur and length of the walks proceeding fi-om it. 



The groups of trees and shrubs, or beds which are to be dug and kept planted 



with flowers, ought always to be separated from the walk by a verge or margin 



of turf; which, for the convenience of mowing, and of always presenting a 



healthy green surface, should not be less than 2 ft. in width. This applies to 



all the open parts of the pleasure-ground scenery ; but, where the walk 



proceeds through dark shady woods, the trees and shrubs may be brought 



close up to it; and, the ground being clothed with the branches of the latter, 



their appearance will leave no room to regret the absence of turf. Even in 



open pleasure-ground scenery, a tree or a shrub may sometimes be planted 



close to the edge of the walk, and may occasionally project partially over it, 



for the sake of variety, and in order to produce particular effects. In this 



and every other case of the application of general principles and rules, such 



deviations may be made as are justified by the striking nature of the results ; 



and it often happens that those features which principally distinguish one 



place from another, are either the results of fortunate accidents, or unavoidable 



deviations from ordinary rules. 



257. Grass walks. — Besides gravel walks, there ought, in every case where 

 there is a lawn of an acre or two in extent, to be either broad margins of turf 

 to the main walk, running parallel to the gravel, on which persons may walk 

 abreast with those on the hard surface ; or glades in the interior of the 

 scenery, so contrived as to admit of two or three persons making the tour of 

 the place on them, instead of doing so on the gravel. In short, it ought never 

 to be forgotten, that the enjoyment of walking on turf is to most persons much 

 greater than that of walking on gravel ; and that the preference given to the 



