XIII 



Excuse and Epilogue 



Turn to the map within the covers of this book. It 

 conveys an idea of the garden as accurate and inac- 

 curate as the representation of the British Empire 

 in the All-Red maps of the Navy League. That is 

 to say, it leaves out all that matters : but for the 

 purpose next to hand it will serve. 



It represents the garden as it is, a sound basis 

 for building the garden as it might be. It must 

 be changed, for, if it does not grow better, it will 

 certainly grow worse, and the prevention of decay 

 and deterioration is the point upon which every 

 gardener's honour is staked. It can never attain 

 perfection ; but it can and must, year by year, 

 reach the best possible. 



It was 1910 which saw the completion of the rock 

 garden : 1911 was made memorable by the opening 

 of the bridge, and the creation of the river and the 

 peat garden, by the laying down of the brick-court 

 at the front, and the greater discipline generally im- 

 posed upon everything in the four acres. . . . 



215 



