326 STUDIES IN THE FIELD AND FOREST. 



of all these useless plants, and gravel and loam were 

 carted down to its edges, which were then covered with 

 soil and sowed with grass seed,'to afford a neat and 

 lawn-like appearance to the grounds, and to visitors a 

 firm foundation for their feet. The frequent tufts of 

 shrubbery that gave a ragged look to the pasture were 

 likewise removed, and the whole was planted with the 

 most approved grasses. 



Not many rods from the cottage was a natural foun- 

 tain that bubbled up from a subterranean source on the 

 hill-side, from which the farmer irrigated the greater 

 part of his lands. It was a true rustic fountain, girded 

 on one side by steep fern-clad rocks, and overshadowed 

 by the gnarled and twisted branches of the aquatic 

 hornbeam, one of the most grotesque and beautiful 

 trees in the forest. From this fountain issued a rivulet, 

 which was conducted along the declivity, until it poured 

 its waters into a wooden trough, and formed a water- 

 ing place for the cattle. These objects were altogether 

 too rude to be admitted as a part of the map of im- 

 provements. The bed of the fountain was excavated 

 into a deep and spacious reservoir, and from this a pipe 

 was carried along underground to the front yard, where 

 it terminated in a jet d' eau, that issued from a marble 

 basin, and threw up a wide and graceful spray. 



The inmates of the villa were charmed with the 

 result of these operations. There was an air of ele- 

 gance and " high keeping" about the grounds, that cor- 

 responded judiciously with the splendor of the villa 

 and its outbuildings. No wild bushes were left in 

 straggling tufts, to suggest the idea of poverty or neg- 

 ligence on the part of the proprietor; and the pasture, 

 which was full of a great variety of wild plants or 

 weeds, was repeatedly ploughed and pulverized to destroy 



