PART II. OF COUNTRY RESIDENCES. 631 



places. The shrubbery must not only be cultivated during a 

 certain period, but must also be thinned, and in some cases 

 preserved agreeably to the principles of picturesque improve- 

 ment. Water must be preserved in character, sometimes by 

 emptying and clearing, at other times by improving the banks, 

 thinning the bushes or aquatics, depositing gravel where it has 

 become covered with pasture, and many other things. Views 

 through trees must be preserved of proper form, so as to shew 

 the distant scenery to the best advantage. Thus the fore- 

 ground trees require to be pruned with a picturesque eye; 

 otherwise the finest views are often lost or materially injured* 

 Rocks, stones, roots, water, &c. in dells and dingles, require to 

 be shewn or concealed with the same care, and upon the same 

 principles, in order to produce beauties of the same order. 

 Every scene where vegetation is concerned is annually chang- 

 ing, and every change which takes place must either injure or 

 improve it. Hence the necessity of a very assiduous attention 

 to this part of a gardener's duty, which is so important, and 

 requires such a nice taste, that unless the proprietor himself 

 has attended to the subject, the special directions of the pic- 

 turesque improver (unfortunately for such scenery, few will 

 be willing to adopt this practice) will be occasionally neces- 

 sary to have the work done with the proper effect. One 

 great advantage that will result from calling in an improver, 

 independently of professional knowledge, is, that having been 



