THE WOOD 15 



and Cistus, with an undergrowth of Gaultheria and 

 Andromeda. The larger trees are to the left, and the 

 small evergreen shrubs on a rocky mound to the right. 

 Within a few yards the turf path becomes a true 

 wood path. Just as wild gardening should never 

 look like garden gardening, or, as it so sadly often does, 

 like garden plants gone astray and quite out of place, 

 50 wood patlis should never look like garden paths. 

 There must be no hard edges, no obvious boundaries. 

 The wood path is merely an easy way that the eye 

 just perceives and the foot follows. It dies away 

 imperceptibly on either side into the floor of the wood 

 and is of exactly the same nature, only that it is 

 smooth and easy and is not encumbered by projecting 

 tree-roots. Bracken or Bramble, these being all removed 

 when the path is made. 



If it is open enough to allow of the growth of grass, 

 and the grass has to be cut, and is cut with a machine, 

 then a man with a faghook must follow to cut away 

 slantingly the hard edge of standing grass that is left 

 on each side. For the track of the machine not only 

 leaves the hard, unlovely edges, but also brings into 

 the wood the incongruous sentiment of that discipHne 

 of trimness which belongs to the garden, and that, 

 even there in its own place, is often overdon e. 



Now we are in the true wood path among Oaks and 

 Birches. Looking round, the view is here and there 

 stopped by prosperous-looking Hollies, but for the 

 most part one can see a fair way into the wood. In 

 April the wood floor is plentifully furnished with 

 Daffodils. Here, in the region furthest removed from 



