66o 
tiifc:  tROPICAL  AGlltCULTURtSt. 
[April  i,  1896. 
Now,  there  cnn  be  no  doubt  that  this  universal 
draining  is  ameliorating  our  dim  ae,  not  perceptibly 
in  reference  to  mean  temperature  perhaps,  hut  cer- 
tainly in  leference  to  sunshine  and  fur  weather. 
The  southern  a' d western  cou'itie.s— the  Ail  uuic 
eicie  of  our  irland — is  in  point  of  rainUill  approxi- 
mating the  eastern  counties,  or  the  Continental  side. 
Hut  liiis  is  what  the  western  districts  cannot  stand 
with'  ut  serious  loss  to  the  country.  The  amount 
of  rain  to  which  they  have  been  subjected  for  ages 
has  cirried  out  of  the  soil  the  most  part  of  the 
aluminous  ele.nents,  in  union  with  water  (for  which 
alumina  has  a remarkable  affinity)  into  the  sea,  or, 
at  all  events,  into  the  lowest  troughs  of  the  land. 
The  soil  generally  is  consequently  light  and  sandy, 
sharp  and  g od  for  growing  oats  and  grasses,  and 
therefore  for  giving  green  hills  inst  ad  of  heatheiy 
hills,  but  less  fit  It  r wheat  and  beans,  and  even 
barley.  Green  hills  must  al*ays  be  the  peculiar 
treasure  of  the  southern  and  western  highlands  of 
Scotland.  And,  accordingly,  such  is  the  character 
of  those  hills  generally  as’  elsewhere  in  the  corres- 
ponding localities  in  England.  They  are  remarkable 
for  their  verdure.  'I'liey  form  in  this  respect  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  Grampians  and  the  moun- 
tains of  Aberdeenshire,  which  are  very  brown  and 
purple,  with  i-ocks  and  stones,  and  heather  out  of 
tiower  or  in  flower. 
But  will  the  southern  and  western  mountains 
continue  green  in  ages  to  come,  when  the  whole 
country  is  thoroughly  drained,  as  they  have  continuod 
for  ages  past?  No;  even  already  it  begins  to  be 
commonly  sa'd  of  many  of  the  most  profitable  sheep- 
walks,  that  they  could  take  a shower  every  day, 
and,  at  all  events,  they  could  take,  and  would  be 
the  belter  f-.jr  more  than  they  get,  even  in  districts 
which  were  wont  to  be  very  wet.  Is  there  any 
method,  then,  whereby  the  rainy  character  of  a 
count' yside,  which  has  departed  through  the  draining 
of  that  country,  can  be  restored  to  the  extent  that 
is  needed  to  preserve  the  gieen  hills,  so  that  the 
Biiashinc,  which  has  been  obtained  by  the  draining, 
may  be  preserved,  while  yet  the  former  moisture 
may  be  recovered  for  the  vegetation  ? Is  there  any 
method,  in  a word,  by  which  a habitual  or  muggy 
raininess  cf  climate  may  be  transformed  into  sui'iiy 
showeriness  ? 
This  problem,  I believe,  the  arborioulturist  is 
appointed  to  solve.  By  judicioua'y  planting  the 
crests  and  slopes  of  the  mountains,  and  giving  to 
nature  such  breadth  of  forest  as  she  requires,  the 
hills  may  be  kept  perpetually  green,  and  the  beauty 
of  tlie  country  at  the  same  time  immensely  enhan  ed. 
Moreover,  the  timber  will  in  the  coiir.se  of  time  pay 
its  own  way,  and  something  more.  Even  supposing 
the  larch  sbou  d refuse  its  assistance  in  the  woik, 
the  great  study  now  bestowed  upon  the  cotiiferos  in 
their  whole  treatmen*,  and  their  cultivation  by  many 
(and  by  none  more  admirably  than  by  the  Pi’esidf-ut 
of  this  society),  opens  up  the  hope  that  some  subs- 
titute for  the  larch  may  be  louud.  Aud  if  even 
stktesmeu  are  making  provision  for  times  supposed 
tr  be  coming,  when  coal-fuel,  as  is  thought,  will 
be  scarce  anU  dear,  the  timber  of  our  country  will 
acquire  new  value.  At  present,  indeed,  it  seems 
as  it  it  wore  thrust  aside,  aud  were  put  hors  de  combat 
by  iron.  The  sound  of  the  hammer  in  the  navy-yard 
now  is  quite  different  from  what  it  used  to  be.  No 
longer  may  we  sing — 
“ Heart  of  oak  are  our  ships.” 
But  will  it  not  be  a pleasing  conversion  when  our 
‘ wooden  walls”  protect  our  firesides,  not  on  the 
stormy  main,  but  at  the  very  glowing  ingle-neuk 
itself.  At  all  events,  there  is  no  reason  to  appre- 
hend that  the  economic  value  of  timber  will  ever 
cease.  Bather  let  us  anticipate  a t mo  when  the 
reasonable  supply  of  the  wants  of  our  population, 
both  gentle  and  simple,  and  a general  contentment, 
which  alone  is  true  wealth,  will  leave  the  general 
eye  more  open  to  the  charms  of  beauty,  and  when 
people  in  general  will  drink  in  a far  larger  s ipply 
of  enjoyment  than  they  do  at  present,  from  com- 
munion with  Nature  and  the  contemplation  of  the 
Beautiful.  An  eye  for  beauty  is  in  reality  the  richest 
inheritance.  It  needs  no  title  to  hold,  but  merely 
one  to  behold,  and  this  is  the  title  of  eveiy  man 
that  has  an  eye  to  see  with,  and  a soul  to  feel. 
And  a true  friend  among  his  neighbours  assuredly 
is  tint  mail  who,  by  his  art,  has  succeeded  in  pre- 
senting permanently  to  the  spcct.itor  who  is  living 
there,  or  frequently  passing  that  way,  a beautiful 
object  where  ihero  was  none  before.  And  here  let 
us  maintain,  that  whatever  tlio  field  of  the  sculptor, 
or  the  painter,  or  the  architect,  however  much  of 
the  beautiful  they  may  possibly  create  in  their  res- 
pective provinces,  the  field  of  the  arboriculturist 
and  landscape  gardener  is  more  ample  than  any 
or  all  of  them.  The  finest  works  of  the  sculptor 
or  of  the  architect  are  manifestly  only  accessories 
to  the  landscape  gardener.  These  artists  have  to 
come  to  him  to  assign  a place  whore  their  creation 
may  stand,  or  if  they  venture  to  fix  upon  that  place 
themselves,  it  is  only  by  becoming  landscape-gar- 
deners themselves  for  the  occasion. 
Not  that  there  is  any  incongruity  in  their  so  doin? 
if  they  have  streng'h  for  it.  The  principles  of- 
beauty,  whether  in  the  elect  field  of  ihe  sculptor, 
the  painter,  .the  architect,  or  the  landscape-gardener, 
are  the  same  in  all.  Aud  on  these  principles  I shall 
here  venture  a few  remarks,  because  I am  not 
aware  that  they  have  as  yet  been  advanced  in  con- 
nection with  the  landscape,  while,  even  in  ancient 
times,  they  have  been  verified  in  reference  to  archi- 
tecture aud  sculpture,  aud  some  of  the  most  eminent 
of  modern  sculptors  have  be  n eager  to  embrace 
them. 
That  ill  speaking  of  landscape-gardening  I am  not 
wandering  Irom  arboriculture,  follows  from  this, 
that  scarcely  otherwise  than  by  modifying  the  sur- 
face of  the  country  by  planting  or  felling,  can  man 
change  the  aspect,  the  beauty,  and  expression  of  a 
landscape  at  all.  But  let  it  not  be  inferred  from 
this  that  his  power  to  do  so  is  but  small.  We  all 
know  to  what  an  extent  a man  may  change  the  as- 
pect and  expression  of  his  head  by  beard-and-mustache 
gardening.  Not  less  is  the  power  of  the  landscape 
gu-denev  in  modifying  the  expression  of  the  landscape, 
through  the  cultivation  of  trees  and  underwood. 
As  to  the  beauty  of  the  landscape,  then, — the  man- 
sion-house with  its  rural  panorama  aud  the  culti- 
vation of  its  be.xuty, — we  cannot  too  soon  draw  a 
distinction  between  the  effects  of  colour  on  the  one 
hand,  aud  of  /ivm  on  the  other. 
Colours  are  for  the  eye  only.  They  can  p’easq 
they  can  cheer,  they  can  delight,  nay,  to  some  ex- 
tent, they  can  awake  delightful  associations  ; or  thev 
can  depress  and  awake  mournful  associations;  but 
th^  do  not  move  the  soul  as  certain  forms  do ; 
and  they  never  attain  the  rank  of  picturesque  or 
sublime.  When  beholding  colours,  also,  the  mind  is 
quite  differently  engaged  from  what  it  is  when  con- 
templating forms.  In  beholding  colours,  the  eye 
rests  on  the  colour.  The  area,  the  space  which  the 
colour  covers,  is  everything.  In  beholding  forms,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  eye,  though  secretly,  is  yet  ever 
in  motion,  ever  ranging  along  the  contours  or  some 
line  or  other  in  the  form  beheld,  conscious  that 
therein  the  charm  of  the  beauty  lies,  aud  very  able  to 
enjoy  half  beauty,  though  not  to  discover  the  secret  of  it. 
Hence  the  development  of  beauty  in  reference  to 
colour  is  easy  : 
(1)  Colour,  as  to  cheerfulness  or  gloom,  must 
be  answerable  to  the  expression  of  the  forms  which 
it  clothes. 
(2.)  Colour  must  be  in  breadths,  not  too  small. 
3. )  Colour  must,  however,  be  sufficiently  varied  and 
4. )  Every  variation  of  colour  must  be  harmonious' 
if  tbe  colour  is  not  to  interfere  with  Ihe  trans- 
parency and  amplitude  of  the  landscape. 
The  first  and  last  of  these  conditions  may  lie  con- 
si'Jered  as  of  the  saiiio  order.  Scientifically  con- 
sidered, they  arc  rather  obscure;  but  happily  the 
eye  is  an  adequate  judge.  The  con  litioiis  of  liariiiony 
have,  however,  been  completely  ascertained  iii  refer- 
ence to  music,  and  the  same  principles  (though  not 
the  same  rations  apply  to  colours.  But  on  this 
subject  let  ns  content  ourselves  with  saying  that  as 
the  musical  composer  of  a great  piece,  almost  indeed 
in  every  page  of  it,  in  order  to  keep  the  ear  awake, 
finds  it  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  discords  and 
