176 



PARKS AND PLEASUEE-GROUNDS. 



botanic garden^ as their position generally forms the 

 starting-point from which the leading walks set out^ 

 and to which indeed everything is related. These 

 houses should not be allowed to occupy quite a central 

 place in the garden^ as they sometimes do ; for^ in that 

 casC;, they leave only a narrow strip of ground behind 

 them^ and but a limited extent of free space in front. 

 On level ground of a rectangular form^ they should be 

 towards either the north or south end — the former being 

 the preferable^ as alfording greater facilities for forming 

 back-courts and propagation pits^ and as giving greater 

 freedom of access to carts briaging fuel and soils. By 

 this means most of the ornamental gromids may be 

 kept in front of the houses^ which will then form an 

 elegant and appropriate back-ground. These houses are 

 usually erected in ranges^ and in that way they often 

 produce an imposing effect ; but we are sometimes dis- 

 posed to question the propriety of this arrangement as 

 a general rule^ particularly when the plain lean-to form 

 common in forcing- gardens is adopted ; for it is evident 

 that in that way they can receive light only from the 

 roofj and the upright glass in front. We should prefer 

 to have them detached^ singly or in pairS;, for then they 

 would be illuminated nearly all round. When we say 

 detached, we do not mean scattered promiscuously 

 throughout the garden — that would be a worse fault 

 than the other, and would give rise to serious incon- 

 veniences in their management. They may be detached 

 in groups, as leading objects of particular divisions of 

 the garden. If a general range is adopted, either from 

 the limited extent of the garden or from the grounds 

 being favourable to the production of an imposing effect 

 by the concentration of the plant-houses in some par- 



