AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
83 
SHRUBBERY PLANTING. 
The shrubbery may be defined to be the 
link which connects the mansion and the 
lawn to the flower garden, or to the other 
parts of a residence, and is most general!} 
planted either for shelter or shade, although 
often as a screen to hide disagreeable objects, 
for which the plants which compose it are 
better suited than for forest or other trees. 
The shrubbery is often a matter of utility as 
well as of ornament, in which case it gives 
the highest satisfaction when formed for the 
purpose of shutting out the offices or the 
kitchen garden from the view of the house ; 
for sheltering the latter or the garden, or for 
connecting the house with the garden and 
the orchard, the shrubbery becomes useful 
and interesting. 
Sometimes a shrubbery is formed merely 
for the purpose of growing rare shrubs, and 
for obtaining agreeable walks ; in this case 
it is necessary to be at more pains, and to 
display a greater degree of taste in the lay¬ 
ing of it out than in the formation of the 
useful shrubbery; in the former case, a 
tasteful arrangement of plants is a matter of 
less importance than the choice and disposi¬ 
tion of kinds that will soonest afford shelter, 
and ultimately become thick screens. 
In planting shrubberies for screens, to 
hide disagreeable objects, evergreens should 
form the principal mass, as affording a per 
manent blind, and giving a cheerful appear¬ 
ance even in winter. A few deciduous 
shrubs of the most showy softs may, how¬ 
ever, be with propriety added, which will 
give relief to the more sombre apperance of 
the evergreens, particularly while the former 
are in flower ; but, from their nature of an¬ 
nually shedding their leaves, and conse¬ 
quently becoming thin in winter, they are 
not so well calculated for a permanent blind. 
In the disposal of shrubs, the tallest should 
be planted farthest from the walk or front 
side, and the lower in stature in front, but 
if an immediate effect be desired, it is better 
to elevate the ground than to plant trees of 
too great an age ; it is also a matter of im¬ 
portance that they may be planted thickly, 
as it is an easy task to thin them out when 
required. Little taste has generally been 
displayed in the formation of shrubberies as 
to the production of picturesque beauty; 
they are planted too generally in the form of 
sloping banks, without the least natural 
beauty whatever, although in this way they 
may answer the purpose of blinding out dis¬ 
agreeable objects of little merit, when seen 
even from their best side. 
Great attention should be paid, in their 
planting, to give them a somewhat natural 
appearance, and not that of a surface as regu¬ 
lar as if they were clipped with the garden 
shears. Straight lines should also be avoid¬ 
ed as much as possible, and the margin of 
the shrubbery should be broken with deep in¬ 
dentures or sinuosities, and these should be 
neatly turfed over and kept mown. The 
walks which lead through this department 
should not be to any great distance in a 
straight line, if it can be avoided, neither 
should they be too much twisted. There is 
something in a fine gentle sweep or curve so | 
pleasing in a road or walk, that few are in¬ 
sensible of its beauty. The breadth of the 
walks should be regulated according to the 
length and scale of the place, as too narrow 
walks for principal ones have never a good 
effect; they should scarcely, under any cir¬ 
cumstances, be less than five feet wide, and, 
unless for terrace walks of great length, 
should not be more than eight; if the greater 
breadth, they assume the appearance of a 
carriage-drive, and if narrower, they dwindle 
in appearance to a mere footpath. 
. By combining the more distant parts of the 
grounds with the lawn and house by means 
of shrubberies, which may be done, if exe 
cuted with judgment. Space does not al¬ 
ways give the idea of grandeur, for a limited 
sphere is often better adapted to the display 
of ornament and beauty. By good manage¬ 
ment a small strip of ground may be varied, 
by taking advantage of the ground (if any) ; 
or, if it be a level and monotonous spot,, art 
can readily step forward and assist by rais¬ 
ing banks, sinking the walks, and planting 
shrubs in thick masses, chiefly evergreen 
species, and conducting the walks in the 
most circuitous manner, so as not to inter¬ 
sect each other but as little as possible; 
however, care must be taken to give suffi¬ 
cient breadth of walk, and also a margin of 
grass on the sides, of unequal breadths, which 
will naturally assist in adding to the pictur¬ 
esque appearance of the whole. This may 
also be aided by forming the banks to be 
planted of unequal flights, which banks, in 
small places, need not occupy much surface 
at their base, so as to admit of as great a 
breadth of grass margin between them and 
the walks as possible ; in some parts narrow, 
where it is deemed necessary, either for 
variety or for the more completely conceal¬ 
ing objects which should not be seen ; at 
others broad, and disappearing, as it were, in 
natural glades, in the distance. This mar¬ 
gin of grass, where of sufficient breadth, 
should be planted with the finer species of 
ornamental trees and flowering shrubs, 
singly or in groups of three or five together, 
which would not be seen to sufficient advan¬ 
tage if planted generally among the shrubs. 
Some attention to botanical arrangement 
might be paid in the distribution of the shrubs 
and ornamental trees, but this must not be 
carried to the extent likely to infringe upon 
picturesque beauty; however, such families 
as Pinus, Juniperus, Buxus, Laurus, etc., 
may be grouped with good effect, and, if ju¬ 
diciously done, will give a bolder effect to 
the whole than if they were planted promis¬ 
cuously. Fine specimees of larger growing 
kinds should be so placed as to give effect 
and relief to the thicker masses of more 
humble growth. In the background may be 
placed a few fruit-bearing trees, which will 
display their beauties in spring with their 
blossoms, and in autumn with their fruit; in 
such situations also should be planted the 
stronger growing species of Crataegus, Pru- 
nus, etc. 
On leaving the mansion, the walks should 
be conducted through the lawn in a grace 
ful and natural manner to the shrubbery, and 
should be as much hidden from the principal 
windows as possible; they should then be 
continued through the shrubbery, the most 
circuitous walks leading to interesting ob¬ 
jects, so as to relieve the mind and remove 
the idea that they lead to nothing. Fine 
specimens of trees, ruins, either natural or 
artificial water, distant views of villages, 
churches, woods, cottages, or the like, will 
always be pleasing. Shorter walks should 
also be contrived on which to return (as 
most objects lose their effect when seen over 
and over), as well as for a more convenient 
mode of reaching the more distant parts of 
the grounds. Neat resting-places should be 
placed in different parts, choosing the situa¬ 
tion of some in shaded groves, others upon 
elevated spots commanding the finest views 
of the grounds or surrounding country. 
Much taste may be displayed in the forma¬ 
tion of such seats, from the polished temple 
of Flora, Venus, etc., to the rude roots of 
trees and misshapen fragments of rocks or 
rude stone. Arbors of living trees of flexi¬ 
ble habits, such as Mountain Ash, Willow, 
etc., may be planted and formed in bowers, 
and covered over with creeping plants, such 
as Clematis, Ivy, Honeysuckle, etc. Moss 
houses of various construction, root-houses, 
Russian, Swedish,Lapland, Scotch, and Swiss 
cottages should be disposed of in situations 
peculiarly adapted for them. Sometimes sit¬ 
uations are to be found adapted for the one or 
the other ; in such cases the house should 
be chosen to suit the situation, and this will 
always be found to have the happiest effect. 
Where the situation has to be formed for 
either, much judgment and taste are reqired 
in the arrangement; this is not sufficiently 
attended to. Thus a Russian cottage, com¬ 
posed of oak timber-trees, and the adjacent 
ground planted with laurel and other pol¬ 
ished shrubs, natives of southern latitudes, 
and close-shaven grass lawns, is as prepos¬ 
terous as the chaste Grecian temple in a 
rocky dingle. The ground should be chosen 
or arranged so as to persuade the observer 
that he is really in Russia, and the house 
should be composed of the same timber- 
trees used in the formation of cottages in 
that country, and be of the same form and 
size. The internal construction and furni¬ 
ture should also come as near to reality as 
possible. Hermitages and caves are also 
interesting, when proper situations are 
chosen ; in these should be kept a small 
collection of books, calculated for private 
study, and the furniture of this sequestered 
retreat should be exactly of that simple and 
useful nature as would be suitable to a re¬ 
cluse.—Floricultural Cabinet. 
“ Hiccup.” —A writer in a European Medi¬ 
cal Journal says that this troublesome affec¬ 
tion may be cured by taking small doses of 
chloroform. The editor of the New-Jersey 
Medical Reporter gives a much more simple 
remedy than this : 
He says for ordinary cases of this trouble, 
elevating the arms over the head, reaching 
as high as possible with both arms, until a 
few spasms have been omitted, will seldom 
fail of curing it. 
