PART I.] CULTURAL 97 



easily explained, but it has been taken from a work of 

 authority, 



Mrs Loudon's design, while not so repulsive as some of the 



What to Avoid. 



What to Avoid. Rockwork (after Mrs Loudon). 



Fountain and Rockwork. 

 (after Loudon). 



others, shows in its elevated nodding head the tendency to 

 make such arrangements useless by raising them too high, 

 and by so placing the stones that the rain cannot nourish 

 the plants. Like the arches, such structures as this should 

 in all cases be covered with Ivy, or some kindly veil of 

 vegetation, or broken up to make the bottom of a road 

 or path. It should be noted that when rocks or stones are 

 properly placed in the rock-garden, they do not require any 

 cementing, but are surrounded by and placed on moist stony 

 earth or grit, inviting to every fibre of the root that descends. 

 From this we may deduce the rule Eockwork consisting of 

 stones cemented together is bad in all respects. 



A " rockery " is occasionally seen bordering drives, often 

 with large stones arranged in porcupine-quill fashion, and 

 showing a dentate ridge of rocks springing up close from each 

 side of the drive for a considerable length near the entrance 

 gate a style dangerous for coachmen on dark nights. Such a 

 position is the last that should be chosen for the rock-garden. 

 Without alluding to even half the varieties of the ridiculous 

 rockwork tribe, I have the pleasure of here presenting a plan 

 of some recently constructed on the margin of a stream in 

 a great London park. It shows exactly what not to do with 

 any rocks introduced near the margin of water. So far from 

 these illustrating exaggerated or extreme instances, I should 



G 



