ajid of Rural Improvement generally, during 1841. 583 



bestowed upon it according to its rank and importance. The 

 centre of all art and refinement, in the grounds of a country 

 seat, ought, in general, to be on the drawingroom front of the 

 house : next in order is the pleasure-ground ; then the flower- 

 garden, which forms a part of the pleasure-ground; then the 

 shrubberies or plantations near the house, in which there are 

 kept walks, which also belong to the pleasure-ground; next the 

 approach-road ; and, lastly, the kitchen-garden. It not unfre- 

 quently happens that the lawn in front of the house is compa- 

 ratively neglected, while the highest-kept part of the place is the 

 kitchen-garden; and we also often find both the lawn and the 

 kitchen-garden highly kept, while no more attention is paid to 

 the sides of the approach-road than if it were a common road 

 through a grass field. In every highly kept place, where the 

 approach-road leads through open scenery with pasture on 

 each side, the coarse tufls of grass, withered flower-stalks, 

 and all coarse plants, ought to be mown off for a few yards 

 on each side of the road, two or three times during the 

 summer ; and the edgings should, of course, be kept low and 

 clipped with the verge-shears, instead of being pared with the 

 spade. As a kept walk is a highly artificial pare of landscape 

 scenery, it may be laid down as a rule, that whatever description 

 of scene it passes through ought to partake, more or less, of the 

 character of art. Even when the walk is carried across a grass 

 field, or a part of the open park, the surface ought to be 

 smoothed, and the grass kept free from tufts or flower-stems, for 

 a few yards on each side ; and something of the same kind ought 

 to take place when it passes through woods or plantations, unless 

 the surface is covered with ivy or other evergreens. In short, in 

 even the wildest scenery, when the walk is carefully formed by 

 art, of uniform width, and gravelled, the same art ought to 

 extend its influence to a certain distance on both sides, whether 

 among grass or plants, and ought to be particularly conspicuous 

 on its edges. 



Though we have placed the kitchen-garden last in the order 

 of importance with respect to high keeping, it does not follow 

 that it is not to be kept in a suitable manner. Order and 

 neatness ought to pervade every part of it; and, indeed, it can 

 hardly be properly managed, with a view to utility, without this 

 being the case. 



Arhoriculture. — Some valuable papers on pruning have ap- 

 peared in the course of the year, among which those by Mr. 

 Cree of Biggar deserve particular attention. 



" We do hope that, though Mr. Cree has been comparatively neglected by 

 his countrymen, some spirited English proprietors of plantations will take his 

 system into consideration, and either send their foresters to Mr. Cree for in- 

 struction, or send for Mr. Cree to instruct their foresters, and to prune some 



