Explanatory. 35 



Illustrations of my meaning occur by miles in 

 our London parks in winter. Walk through any 

 of them at that season, and observe the borders 

 round masses of shrubs, choice and otherwise. In- 

 stead of finding the earth covered, or nearly 

 covered, with vegetation close to the margin, and 

 each individual developed into something like a 

 respectable specimen of its kind, we find a spread 

 of recently-dug ground, and the plants upon it 

 with an air of having recently suffered from a 

 whirlwind, or some calamity that necessitated the 

 removal of mutilated branches. Rough-pruners 

 precede the diggers, and bravely trim in the shrubs 

 for them, so that nothing may be in the way ; and 

 then come the diggers, who sweep along from 

 margin to back, plunging deeply round and about 

 plants, shrubs, or trees. The first shower that 

 occurs after this digging exposes a whole network 

 of torn-up roots. There is no relief to the spec- 

 tacle ; the same thing occurs everywhere — in a 

 London botanic garden as well as in our large 

 West-end parks ; and year after year is the process 

 repeated. 



While such is the case, it will be impossible to 

 have an agreeable or interesting margin to a 

 shrubbery ; albeit the importance of the edge, as 



D 2 



