CHAPTER II 



What to Avoid 



When a physician is called in to prescribe for a patient, 

 one of the first things which is commonly found necessary 

 is to advise what the invalid should abstain from taking, and 

 how he should endeavor to escape from injurious influences. 

 This treatment is often found sufficient without the use of 

 any medicine and in all cases greatly aids the application of 

 more active remedies. And thus it is with respect to any 

 one who advises on other subjects. No good foundation can 

 be laid for such works as the present unless all erroneous 

 and prejudicial notions be first cleared away. 



In aiming, therefore, to bring the subject fairly before the 

 reader, it will be necessary, at starting, to show what are the 

 things which the amateur should not do, before proceeding to 

 speak of such as should be actually performed. Many a per- 

 son who has gardened for himself has no doubt for want of 

 such beacons irretrievably spoiled his place before discov- 

 ering his error, or at least involved himself in a consider- 

 ably larger outlay, or rendered the whole design patchy and 

 disjointed. 



I. Overdoing. — Possibly the greatest and most preva- 

 lent mistake of those who lay out gardens for themselves is at- 

 tempting too much. A mind unaccustomed to generalize or 

 to take in a number of leading objects at a glance finds out 

 the different points embraced in landscape gardening one by 

 one, and, unable to decide which of them can most suitably 

 be applied, determines on trying to compass more than can 

 28 



