8 THE FORMAL GARDEN IN ENGLAND i 



calls his art : "The art of landscape gardening 

 may be stated as the taking true cognisance of 

 nature's means for the expression of beauty, 

 and so disposing those means artistically as to 

 co-operate for our delight in given conditions." 

 This is a hard saying, put in plain English it 

 seems to amount to this : Select such landscape 

 effects as appear to you to be beautiful, and en- 

 deavour to reproduce them in your garden. 

 The process suggests the paste-pot and scissors 

 of the penny-a-liner. By observation of natural 

 scenery the landscape gardener is to form certain 

 generalisations to guide his practice. Here are 

 some of the results of Mr. Milner's studies : 

 " A calculated shadow on a lawn is a resource of 

 value for the artistic use of natural effect. In 

 every situation a beyond implies discovery and 

 affects the imagination ; the area is circumscribed 

 of which we can take cognisance too readily and 

 completely ; imagination is then confused or 

 frustrated. The beauty of water, in motion or 

 still, is of universal acceptance. The created 

 character of a water feature must be consonant 

 with the surrounding land, for fitness to sur- 

 rounding conditions is a measure of beauty to 

 both ; a lake expresses spaciousness, but much 

 of its charm is due to its outline." There is a 

 curious irrelevance about these apothegms which 

 reminds one of Ollendorf : " My aunt is beauti- 

 ful, but have you seen my sister's cat.^ " 



As to any system, Mr. Milner throws up the 



