Reviews. — Doiordng on Landscape Gardening. 267 



Ornamental Trees — Vines, and Climbing Plants — Treatment of 

 Ground — Formation of Walks — Treatment of Water — Land- 

 scape and Rural Architecture — Embellishments, architectural, 

 rustic, and floral. Appendix. 



The historical sketches are interesting, and include brief 

 notices of the progress of landscape gardening throughout the 

 country. The next chapter, on the Beauties of Landscape Gar- 

 dening, is one of the most valuable; the hints relative to what 

 landscape gardening consists of, are well drawn, and must be 

 read with great profit by every individual who wishes to im- 

 prove an old place, or lay out a new one. As an imitative 

 art, its nature and principles are fully explained. With a 

 study of this portion of Mr. Downing's book, we are per- 

 suaded every planter will be able to effect great improvements 

 in his grounds. Beautifying a residence does not consist in 

 merely setting out trees, but rather in planting them in such 

 situations as will give the greatest expression to the scene. 

 We have, in our earlier volumes, given many extracts from 

 Mr. Ijoudon, (who has been studied by the author,) on this 

 subject, from which we hope our readers have been benefitted. 

 Our limits will not allow us to extract any portion of Mr. 

 Downing's remarks here. 



The most important chapters, to the majority of readers, will 

 be those on deciduous and evergreen trees, in w'hich nearly 

 every hardy kind is described, and its uses in the arts and sci- 

 ences noticed, together with the poetical allusions; a great va- 

 riety of the most valuable trees, among which are the various 

 species of the noble oak and the lofty elm, are so described as 

 to enable almost any individual to select such trees as he wish- 

 es to plant, and thus save him the trouble of asking the opinion 

 of those, who perhaps, having no better information, give a 

 list of such as are not at all fitted for the purpose. We can- 

 not follow the author through all his subjects, and must there- 

 fore refer at once to the chapter on Rural Architecture, as 

 offering the most useful information, and supplying some of 

 best models for dwellings which has ever yet been given to the 

 American public. 



And here the author, in the commencement, makes the 

 following judicious remarks upon the prevalent style of 

 erecting villa residences : " With respect to this class 

 of dwellings, (alluding to city residences,) we have little com- 

 plaint to make, for many of our town residences are highly 

 elegant and beautiful. But how shall we designate that singu- 



