UTILITY OF PLANS. 297 



superintendence, that would otherwise require his con- 

 stant presence. So the landscape-gardener, who has 

 examined grounds with such care as to warrant his 

 attempting their improvement in the way of decora- 

 tion, can have little difficulty in making plans and 

 specifications for the general arrangement of the place 

 and for the particular execution of many of the details, 

 such as may be put into the hands of competent indi- 

 viduals with the assurance that they will be duly exe- 

 cuted without his continued attendance on the grounds. 

 There are, however, things which must be done under 

 his own eye, or at least must be frequently inspected 

 by him during their progress. This remark holds 

 especially true in the extending and remodeling of old 

 places. The opening of views, the grouping of trees 

 and shrubs, and some other nice operations, can be 

 effected neither by plans nor by delegation. The im- 

 prover ought, if possible, to give them the benefit of 

 his personal direction ; otherwise, he may find that, in 

 his absence, a few trees — ay, a single tree, has been 

 cut down, to the most serious injury of one'of his best 

 pictures. Even in such cases, however, it is beneficial 

 for the sake of the improvements as a whole, to have 

 a general plan constructed. Undoubtedly, when little 

 time is allowed, the artist may at once stake out some 

 hurried designs on the ground ; and this he may do 

 with less expense of thought and contrivance than the 

 proper treatment of the case demands, and with much 

 less labor than is necessary to that minute survey of 

 the locality which is required for the formation of a 

 plan upon paper ; but the probability of his erring 

 will, on that very account, be proportionally greater, 

 13* 



