Editor's Introduction xliii 



It should be said, however, that many of 

 Piickler's most extravagant garden designs were 

 never carried out, either by himself at the time, 

 or by others at a later date, and to-day there is 

 little that is bizarre or offensive to good taste to 

 be seen at Muskau. The ideas of Piickler which 

 are essential to the development of his original 

 and comprehensive design have been unquestion- 

 ably, to a large extent, realized and retained. 

 Puckler has this paragraph in his book : — 



To avoid all misunderstanding, I repeat that, in or- 

 der not to break the thread of my description at every 

 moment, much which is only proposed has to be de- 

 scribed as though already complete; and that hardly 

 one third of the place has been so far carried out, al- 

 though perhaps three quarters of the work has been 

 done. 



The difficulties he had to overcome were enor- 

 mous, as explained in his journeys with the reader 

 around his estate. 



Piickler's passionate love of trees and his pride 

 in his ancestors is illustrated by the following 

 passage, which, on account of its peculiarly 

 characteristic quality, seems to demand special 

 mention in these preliminary pages : — ' 



The finest forms of mountains and lakes, the bril- 

 liancy of the sun and sky, combined with the naked rocks 

 and bare lakes, cannot replace meadows and the . . , 

 diversified, pleasing green and rich foliage. Fortunate the 

 man to whom his forbears have bequeathed lofty woods 

 of old oaks, beeches, and lindens, these proud giants 

 of our Northern clime, standing still untouched by the 

 woodman's murderous axe. He should never regard 



