472 ON FORM IN TREE SCENERY. 



man, when engaged to put the finishing touch on a garden 

 or estate by planting, if properly imbued with the 

 importance of his task, should master all the natural 

 beauties and defects of the spot to be dealt with, including 

 its accompaniments and surroundings, and then study to 

 increase the beauties and remedy the defects. 



Whether the beautiful or the picturesque predominate 

 naturally, it should not be reduced, but heightened by 

 every possible effort of art, and only varied by the intro- 

 duction of other features of beauty in such manner that 

 they may not rival or overpower but remain subservient to 

 this dominant natural feature. 



Allow me to offer a practical illustration of this 

 remark. I was recently engaged to make suggestions 

 for the improvement of a park which had at no distant 

 period been increased in size by the addition of some 

 outlying fields, and had never, so far as I could observe, 

 been brought under the hands of the landscape gardener. 

 The dominant feature observable in this old park was the 

 picturesque; the surface was variously undulated, and 

 there was a broad sedgy stream with hoary trees over- 

 hanging its banks winding through it and quitting it 

 near the principal entrance. Here was a lodge to which 

 the picturesque extended, but not in the fulness of beauty 

 to be found within. By planting groups of some of our 

 most beautiful and more regular trees around this build- 

 ing a new feature was introduced, affording variety and 

 contrast without destroying or marring the effect of the 

 natural beauties within. Again, when adding the fields 

 to the park, the hedge-rows which had been left greeted 

 the sight on every hand with hard unsatisfactory lines of 

 trees in positions and of a character quite out of harmony 

 with the surroundings. These lines were broken by 

 removing some of the trees, and grouping around others. 

 Again, in the immediate vicinity of the mansion, where 

 there was an impression of barrenness, symmetrical trees 

 were introduced, working those of irregular forms out- 



