496 
APPENDIX. 
six inches of gravel on the top of these ; and there are few new places 
where this is not a convenient mode of getting rid of the small stones, 
that require to be taken out of the gardens, and various parts of the 
premises undergoing improvement. 
A word may be said here with regard to the colour of gravel. Un- 
doubtedly in almost all examples in the natural style of landscape 
gardening slate-coloured gravel, the kind common in nearly all parts of 
the country, is much the most agreeable to the eye, being unobtrusive, 
just differing sufficiently with the soil to be readily recognized as artisti- 
cal in its effect, while it harmonizes with the colour of the ground, and 
the soft tints of vegetation. A thirst after something new has induced 
some persons, even in the interiour, to substitute, at considerable cost, 
the white gravel of the sea-shore for the common pit or beach gravel. 
The change, we think, is, in point of taste, not a happy one. The strong 
white of this gravel, as the painters would say, disturbs the tone of a 
simply beautiful landscape, whose prevailing tints are those of the broad 
lawn and rich overshadowing trees, and the glare of these snowy white 
pebbles is not, we confess, so pleasing in our eyes as the cooler and more 
quite colour of the slate or gray gravel. When we add to this, that 
these sea-side pebbles, seldom or never pack or become firm, it would 
appear very evident that they are far less suitable for walks than the 
common material. The only situation where this brilliant gravel seems to 
us perfectly in keeping, is in the highly artificial garden of the ancient or 
geometric style, or in the symmetrical terrace flower garden adjoining 
the house. In these instances its striking appearance is in excellent 
keeping with the expression of all the surrounding objects, and it renders 
more forcible and striking the highly artificial and artistical character of 
the scene ; and to such situations we would gladly see its use limited. 
The labour and expense of keeping the roads and walks clean, and 
free from weeds, in a place of large extent, (and some of our seats have 
now several miles of private roads and walks within their own limits,) 
is a very considerable item of the annual outlay of a country residence. 
At a recent visit to Blithewood, w T e saw in operation there a very simple 
implement, invented by R. Donaldson, Esq., the intelligent proprietor of 
that beautiful place, which promises to be of important service as a 
labour-saving machine in cleaning roads and walks. In Fig. 20 is 
shown a sketch of this implement, in use. In general appearance it is 
