Loudon's Illustrations of Landscape-Gardening. 577 



of a very moderate size, and shrubberies not larger than such as are now- 

 planted to shelter a kitchen-garden of an acre, or to shelter and decorate a 

 lawn or paddock of an acre or two, may display an epitome, or repre- 

 sentative system, of the whole vegetable kingdom. In this way every 

 country residence, however small, may display all the rural elegance 

 hitherto recognised by general observers, with the addition to the naturalist 

 of all that interest which has hitherto been found only in botanic gardens. 



But the great object of this work is to cooperate with the Gardener's 

 Magazine, and other works which we have already published, and with an 

 Encyclopedia of Landscape-Gardening which we intend to publish, in 

 improving the knowledge and maturing the taste of the practical gardener. 

 The study of principles by the perusal of written works, and the experience 

 obtained by the practice of altering grounds from the plans of others, will 

 not alone effect these objects. It is necessary that plans should be copied, 

 studied, compared, and analysed; and that the pencil should be called 

 into exercise by the composition of original plans and designs. 



The young gardener further requires to be taught the difference between 

 the possession of knowledge in an art, and the possession of good taste in 

 that art. Many gardeners are competent to design a kitchen-garden or a 

 pleasure-ground, and to delineate their ideas for that purpose on paper ; 

 but it does not follow from this that they possess a cultivated or refined 

 taste in this branch of their profession. 



As a practical maxim it may be affirmed, that to possess good taste in 

 the productions of any art is, to be able to form a judgment or opinion con- 

 cerning them in harmony with that of the most enlightened minds. For 

 this purpose a great many objects of art must be seen and compared. But 

 as, from the temporary duration of trees and other materials jn use by the 

 landscape-gardener, no less than from geographical distance, the actual pro- 

 ductions of different ages and countries cannot be compared together, we 

 must of necessity content ourselves with comparing delineations of them. 

 Such a collection of delineations it has not hitherto been within the power 

 of the practical gardener to compare ; and it is the intention of the present 

 work to supply this desideratum. 



By studying and carefully copying and comparing the collection of 

 examples which we shall present, in connection with reading and reflecting 

 on what has been written on the subject of gardening, as an art of design, 

 by G. Mason, Wheatly, Price, Allison, and others, (the essence of which 

 we shall embody in our Encyclopedia of Landscape-Gardening^) the young 

 gardener may henceforth effect by self-instruction what it was not in his 

 power to do before, he may render himself master of the highest branch of 

 his profession. 



As the descriptions accompanying the plans will be translated into the 

 French and German languages, some good will be effected by them in the 

 way of facilitating the intercourse between the gardeners of Continental 

 Europe and those of Britain, America, and Australia ; more especially as " 

 few of the technical terms of gardening are to be found either in German 

 French, or English dictionaries. 



Part I. for October, contains 



I. Elementary Details of Pictorial Map-Drawing. This sheet is published 

 as a separate work (p. 580.) ; and therefore those purchasers of the Illus- 

 trations who do not intend to copy the elementary plate with a view to 

 improve themselves in drawing, may content themselves with the impres- 

 sion they will find here. But whoever wishes to make use of the plate of 

 Elementary Details as a drawing-book, should purchase it apart ; for, to be 

 copied properly, it requires to be rolled up, which would spoil the sheet as 

 a part of the present work. 



II. Graphic Arrangement of an Arboretum in one extended Line alongside 



Vol. VI. — No. 28. p p 



