602 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Fig. 169 (a) shows how broad views are often wasted at a great cost, 

 cutting the curvature of nature into imitations of streets. 



Fig. 169 (b) shows how their development is attempted all over the 

 world ; Fig. 169 (c) shows how they are developed according to the natural 

 principles of contour. 



When straight lines are placed upon lands to take the principal place 

 in the impression, the arrangement is false, untrue to nature and art, and 

 untrue to the wants of the mind. It gives mere impressions of limitation, 

 instead of impressions of infinity. 



When a man first comes from his office or workshop, when his mind 

 is filled with streets and buildings, he unknowingly lets the impressions 

 of his life arrange silent matter according to the habits of his past life, 

 and not according to the wants of real life (if he only knew it) ; and 



Fig. 1(58 Laws of Radiation for Massing and Extent. 



Three natural principles of scenery— viz. mass, distance, and radiation. 



according to Fig. 169 (a), (b) thousands of what are really mass pictures, 

 if properly developed, can be seen arranged around the residences. 



Fig. 169 (b) shows the lines adopted by the persons who call themselves 

 landscape gardeners, landscape engineers, &C, but who cannot see the 

 pictures of the land, or at least have only gained the first steps of seeing, 

 and therefore cannot develop them. They put banks and excrescences on 

 to the wood outlines, destroying the principles of development in every 

 way, and showing they are blind to the pictures of the land. Fig. 172 

 shows how the natural laws of contour and radiation govern a broad 

 picture where the principles are governed by mass lines. Looking from 

 the centre of the road, the lines of sight radiate as shown ; the details are 

 indicated by distance development from corners &c. But in Fig. 169 (c) 

 all these views are made to appear shorter than they really are ; instead of 

 giving infinite impressions, it develops but limitation, and impressions not 

 responsive to the mind. The importance of understanding contour lines 

 is so great that it cannot be overestimated, as they form the foundation of 



