294 LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



often destroyed, but the banks of some of our finest streams 

 and prettiest rivulets partially laid bare by the foul aid of 

 this instrument, guided by some tasteless hand. Wherever 

 fi.ne brooks or water courses are thus mutilated, one of the 

 most necessary and obvious improvements is to reclothe them 

 with plantations of trees and underwood. In planting their 

 banks anew, much beauty and variety can often be produced 

 by employing different growths, and arranging them as we 

 have directed for the margins of lakes and ponds. In some 

 places where easy, beautiful slopes and undulations of ground 

 border the streams, gravel, soft turf, and a few simple groups 

 of trees, will be the most natural accompaniments ; in others 

 where the borders of the stream are broken into rougher, 

 more rocky and precipitous ridges, all the rich wildness and 

 intricacy of low shrubs, ferns, creeping and climbing plants, 

 may be brought in to advantage. Where the extent to be 

 thus improved is considerable, the trouble may be lessened 

 by planting the larger growth, and sowing the seeds of the 

 smaller plants mingled together. Prepare the materials, and 

 time and nature, with but little occasional assistance, will ma- 

 ture and soften, and blend together the whole, in their own 

 matchless and inimitable manner. 



From all that we have suggested in these limited remarks, 

 it will be seen that we would only attempt in our operations 

 with water, the elegant or picturesque imitations of natural 

 lakes or ponds, and brooks, rivulets, and streams. Such are 

 the only forms in which this unrivalled element can be dis- 

 played so as to harmonize agreeably with natural and pic- 

 turesque scenery. In the latter, there can be no apology 

 made for the introduction of straight canals, round or oblong 

 pieces of water, and all the regular forms of the geometric 

 mode ; because they would evidently be in violent opposi- 



