THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
113 
tion, in short, will apply to almost every place laid out 
in England, from the time, about 1740, when the passion 
commenced for new modeling country seats, to about 
1785 or 1790 when it, in a great measure, ceased. The 
leading outline of this plan of improvement was easily 
recollected and as easily applied. The great demand pro- 
duced an abundance of artists, and the general appear- 
ance of the country so rapidly changed under their opera- 
tion, that, in the year 1772 Sir William Chambers de- 
clared : "Our virtuosi have scarcely left an acre of shade, 
nor three trees growing in a line, from Land's-end to 
the Tweed ; and if their humour for devastation continues 
to rage much longer, there will not be a forest-tree left 
standing in the whole kingdom." This system was in 
fact more formal than the ancient style, which it suc- 
ceeded, because it had fewer parts. The ancient gardens 
had avenues, alleys, platoons, circular masses, rows, 
double and single, all from one material, wood, but the 
new style, as then degraded, had only three forms, the 
clump, the belt and single tree. 
The good sense of the country soon revolted at such 
monstrous productions, and proprietors were ridiculed 
for expending immense sums in destroying old gardens, 
avenues and woods, and planting in their place young 
clumps, for no other reason than that it was the fashion 
to do so. This protest produced a number of most val- 
uable publications, which are well worth the study of the 
present-day gardener. 
The following are particularly interesting and instruc- 
tive : 
1765. — G. Mason. "An Essay on Design in Gardening." His- 
torical. 
1704. — Win. Shenstone. "Unconnected Thoughts on Gardening." 
1771. — Thomas Whately. "Observations on Modern Gardening." 
This was the first complete treatise on the new art of gardening. 
and is still indispensable. 
1772. — Wm. Chambers. "Desertations on Oriental Gardening." 
This volume describes the method of ornamental gardening in 
China, and had considerable influence on the change of taste. 
The name English-Chinese gardening sometimes applied to pic- 
turesque gardening, may be traced to this volume. 
1772-17S9. — Wm. Mason. "The English Garden, a poem in four 
books." A second edition. 17S3, containing a commentary by W. 
Burgh, is particularly interesting. Wm. Mason, in a note in the 
second book, calls "Bacon the prophet, Milton the herald, and 
Addison, Pope and Kent the champions of true taste, because 
they brought it into execution." 
1780. — Horace Walpole. "On Modern Gardening," in his "Anec- 
dotes of Painting." Historical. 
1785. — Wm. Marshall. "Planting and Rural Ornament." Two 
volumes. 
1783-1809. — Rev. Wm. Gilpin. Ten volumes on "Picturesque 
Travel," and two volumes on "Forest Scenery." These volumes 
are full of interesting descriptions, and should be studied, if pos- 
sible: his "Forest Scenery" is particularly valuable. 
1794. — Sir Uvedale Price. "On the Picturesque." The best edi- 
tion, 1842. edited by Sir Thomas Dick Lander. Price writes on 
the value of the study of pictures for t he purpose of improving 
real landscape. In advocating this, he said: 
"With regard to improving, that alone 1 should call art in a 
good sense, which was employed in collecting from the infinite 
variations of accident (which is commonly called nature in op- 
position to what is called art) such circumstanes as may happily 
be introdued according to the real capabilities of the place to 
be improved. 
"This is what painters have done in their art. He therefore, 
in my mind, will show most art in improving who leaves (a very 
material point) or who creates the greatest variety of pictures 
of such different compositions as painters would least like to 
alter." 
1794-1803. — Humphrey Repton. "Sketches and Hints on Land- 
scape Gardening" and "Observations on the Theorie and Practice 
of Landscape Gardening." 
1806. — "An Inquiry into the Changes of Taste in Landscape 
Gardening." 
Repton was the first who took onto himself the title of 
landscape gardener and the first to lay down fixed prin- 
ciples for the art. His works are still indispensable, and, 
fortunately, were republished by the American Society of 
Landscape Architects, 1907. Every gardener who has 
the least to do with the planning and designing of orna- 
mental grounds should study this work. Repton was born 
in 1752 and died in 1818. 
1803-1820. — J. C. Loudon. Numerous works on gardening and 
landscape gardening, all of which are interesting and instructive 
to the present day gardener. 
The works of the above-mentioned English authors 
were translated into German and French, and their ele- 
gant sensible style rapidly spread over continental Europe. 
Among the German authors, of this period, the following 
are particularly worthy of study : 
1779-1785— C. C. L. Hirschfeld, "Theorie der Gartenkunst," 5 
volumes. 
1818. — F. L. von Sckell. "Beitraege zur bildenden Gartenkunst." 
Yon Sckell was a professional landscape gardener, who 
after extensive travels in France and England, returned 
to Germany, where he was employed by the nobility to 
rearrange and lay out a large number of important places. 
His designs were characteristic of simplicity and dignity, 
and his book, based as it was on practical experience and 
observation, is worthy of careful study. 
Unfortunately, however, this book is very hard to ob- 
tain. 
Von Sckell was born in 1750 and died in 1823. 
is;:4. — Hermann Fiirst von Puckler-Muskau. "Andeutungen iiber 
Landschaftsgartnerei." 
Piickler-Muskau worked for thirty years on the im- 
provement of the district in which he lived. Charles 
Eliot says : 
"The significance for us Americans of this work at 
Muskau is very obvious. — He preserved everything that 
was distinctive. He destroyed neither his farm nor his 
mill, nor yet his alum works ; for he understood that these 
industries, together with all the human history of the 
valley, contributed to the general characteristic element, 
only second in importance to the quality of the natural 
scene itself." — "His essays on landscape were long since 
translated into French, and it is hoped that thev may yet 
appear in English, for they contain a verv clear presen- 
tation of the elements of landscape design, as well as 
many lively descriptions of his work at Muskau." 
The work of Puckler-Muskau was republished a few 
years ago by Theodor Lange, at the publishing house of 
Hans Frederick of Leipzig, Germany; previous to this 
time it was almost impossible to find a copy. Piickler- 
Muskau was born 1785 and died 1873. . 
The most important works published in France during 
this period are : 
1774. — C. L. Watelet. "Essay zur les .Tardins." 
1776. — J. M. Morel. "Theorie des .Tardins, etc." 
1777. — L. R. Girardin. "La Composition les Paysages, etc." 
Andrew Jackson Downing introduced the art of gar- 
dening in America and he is best known from his book, 
"Landscape Gardening and Rural Architecture," a valua- 
ble and popular work, published in many editions, the 
first 1841, and from his "Essays" to the "Horticulturist" 
from 1846 to 1850. 
A Memoir of Downing may be found in his "Rural 
Essavs," 1890 edition. Downing was born in 1815 and 
died 'in 1852. 
Having called attention to the most distinguished mas- 
ters of the art of gardening and the writings produced by 
them for our benefit and pleasure, I will conclude with 
the words of Sir Josua Reynolds : 
"77a' more extensive, therefore, your acquaintance 
with the works of those who have excelled, the more 
extensive will be your powers of invention, and what 
•will appear still more like a paradox, the more origi- 
nal will be your conceptions." 
