THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL 



265 



for our woodland sun-spots, and also 

 for the drives through the wood being 

 more open and airy, providing always 

 that the too common way, of thinning 

 trees in a wood so that each stands singly, 

 be given up. This is a harmful though 

 well-established British practice, and 

 against all profit or other good from 

 woodland. 



However,without any "fine" plant- 

 ing or attempt at the artistic as regards 

 planting choice shrubs, by studying 

 carefully the lines of easiest access, 

 grading in hilly districts, and the con- 

 venience of varied labours or pleasures 

 of the woodland, we often gain a very 

 beautiful result. I have made several 

 miles of these rides during the past 

 winter, and no labour has ever given me 

 greater pleasure in the result. Where 

 the ground is level the work consists of 

 merely taking out old and often worn- 

 out stubs. Where it is sloping it is a 

 little more laborious, but even then not 

 difficult. Where the woods have been 

 a little neglected and are rather worn- 

 out it is often easy to get as good a line 

 where the ground is bare of trees as where 

 it is well set with them and thus avoid 

 felling timber. Sometimes I crept under 

 a great group of Oaks or Beech trees for 

 the sake of their fine stems, and got a 

 better effect than had I avoided them, 

 beside using ground where nothing 

 would grow. In some cases the result 

 was so striking that parts of the woods, 

 before unnoticed, became picturesque 

 even in the opinion of artists ; the airy 

 foreground and the fine view along the 

 clearances giving good pictures when 

 the trees happen to come in the right 



way. Where there is much disturbance 

 of the ground I sow mixed grass seeds 

 as soon as possible afterwards, mainly 

 in April, but also in the summer and 

 autumn. As to game, the airy rides are 

 a distinct improvement in every way, 

 creatures of all sorts getting a chance 

 to air and sun themselves in the clear- 

 ances. The gamekeepers like it much 

 better, and my woodman tells me that 

 he always finds the best trees near the 

 open rides. So that nothing is lost and 

 everything is gained. g $ 



BEAUTIFUL IRISH ROSES. 



All who know Irish gardens and any- 

 thing of the soft climate of Ireland, its 

 open warm soils, and its special fitness 

 for plant and tree growing, must have 

 regretted that a country with so many 

 natural advantages should not have more 

 good nurseries. Now, however, we are 

 glad to record a brilliant exception, and 

 that in the direction for which the cli- 

 mate of France had hitherto seemed the 

 best, that is for the raising of the most 

 beautiful Roses ofour time, beyond those 

 of all times in beauty. The garden Roses 

 have gained wonderfully in our day in 

 continuous bloom ;we can count on their 

 beauty not only in the old " time of 

 Roses "but far through the summer, and 

 as we now write, in the first days of Octo- 

 ber, gardens are still beautiful with Roses 

 where people have the wit to use the 

 right sorts. Among all the Rose-growers 

 in Britain who have joined in this im- 

 provement, the most distinguished are 

 Messrs. Dickson of Newtownards, and, 

 impressed with the value of their gains, 

 we requested Mr. W. J. Grant to give us 



