CHAPTER XIX 

 SOME MINOR ACCESSORIES 



THE gardener should ever remember that 

 good taste is exemplified as much in small 

 things as in large. Little eyesores in the 

 garden, often permitted from sheer want of 

 thought, will go a long way to undo the good 

 effect of thought and care and artistic treat- 

 ment of the more important elements of the 

 garden picture. I have seen an otherwise 

 well-designed fore-court spoilt by the intro- 

 duction of huge blocks of alabaster in the 

 form of a "rockery," as if the possession of a 

 ton or two of such material was a thing to be 

 proud of, and to be emphasized at all costs. 

 The practice of making a rock-work the de- 

 pository of mineral specimens, gigantic fossils, 

 nuggets of glass, and conchological curiosities 

 is opposed to consistency and common sense. 

 Yet it is by no means unusual. It is not alone 

 in the use of these superfluous things that 



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