What to Avoid 35 



and from which not a ghmpse can be obtained of what is 

 passing without. Privacy no doubt they may secure, but 

 it is the privacy of the cell or the cloister, — a sort of 

 monastic seclusion which would better fit the tenant of a 

 hermitage. 



Nothing could be more monotonous than a timber belt in 

 which the trees are nearly all of the same age, height and 

 general character. All variety of effect and all ideas of in- 

 definiteness are of course out of the question under such cir- 

 cumstances. To whatever part of the garden we go the same 

 hard and uniform boundary terminates the view. There is 

 no play of outline, none of that beautiful illusion which arises 

 from skillful connection with other property. The cheerful- 

 ness of sunlight is curtailed, and the healthy vigor common 

 to plants which have plenty of light and air is not to be 

 found. The walks become green and slimy, and are always 

 more or less damp, while a portion of the grass is made feeble 

 and sickly or gradually dwindles away into mere mossiness. 



But the worst feature of all these evils is that they have 

 seldom any origin in necessity, and could usually be obviated. 

 There are extremely few places so thoroughly surrounded by 

 bad objects as to allow of no breaks in the boundary and no 

 peeps into the country beyond. And even where such is the 

 case considerable diversity and interest may be created by 

 the use of plants of different heights and habits to act as the 

 screen. Indeed, a boundary that must necessarily be a bar- 

 rier to all further view into the outlying country may be so 

 contrived and treated as scarcely to appear like a boundary 

 at all, as I shall hereafter have occasion to show. I need only 

 add here that formal, regular belts, especially where the trees 

 are planted in rows, are in the worst possible taste. 



Those masses of trees or shrubs known as clumps, and noto- 

 rious for their extreme clumsiness, are a part of the same 



