80 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, adap¬ 
ted to North America, with a view to the Improvement of Country 
Residences, comprising historical notices and General Principles of 
the Art, directions for Laying out Grounds and arranging Planta¬ 
tions, the Description and Cultivation of Hardy Trees, Decorative 
Accompaniments to the House and Grounds, the Formation of Pie¬ 
ces of Artificial Water, Flower Gardens, etc., with remarks on Rural 
Architecture. Second edition, enlarged, revised, and newly illus¬ 
trated. By A. J. Downing, Author of Designs for Cottage Residen¬ 
ces, etc. New-York—Wiley & Putnam. 
The appearance of a second and greatly improved edi¬ 
tion of this admirable work, must be hailed with plea¬ 
sure by every friend of rural improvement. The early 
success which has attended the first and only work of 
American origin, devoted entirely to this subject, while 
it not only proves the ability of its execution, furnishes 
also the gratifying evidence of the rapidly increasing 
wish among our countrymen, for the tasteful embellish¬ 
ment of their country residences. To this increased at¬ 
tention to landscape gardening, the work before us has 
contributed very considerably, although but three or four 
years have elapsed since its first appearance. 
Beside much valuable matter added to the present edi¬ 
tion, a large portion of the first part of it has been re¬ 
written, some modifications of the principles of the art 
introduced, and more than twenty new views are given, 
chiefly of American residences and their adjacent grounds, 
executed in the best style, and all excellent illustrations 
of the beautiful and picturesque in the art. Descriptions 
of many new places are introduced, and some valuable 
practical hints are appended to the body of the volume. 
As but few of our readers possess this work, we hope we 
shall do them an acceptable service, by giving a more 
extended account of its contents. 
The work opens with a genei*al notice of the objects 
of landscape gardening; a glance at the ancient and mo¬ 
dern styles, with their characteristics; an account of the 
origin rf the modern or natural style, its progress and 
general adoption; and a history of the art in the United 
States, with a reference to many examples now existing, 
accompanied by several beautifully engraved views. The 
general principles of landscape gardening are then laid 
down in a very clear and interesting manner, and an in¬ 
sight is given into the beauty, the endless variety of ex¬ 
pression, and even the sublimity, belonging to the study 
* Beaverwyck , a little north of Albany, on the opposite bank of the 
river, is the seat of Wm. P. Van Rensselaer, Esq. The whole estate 
is ten or twelve miles square, including the village of Bath on the river 
shore, and a large farming district. The home residence embraces 
several hundred acres, with a large level lawn bordered by highly va¬ 
ried surface of hill and dale. The mansion, one of the first class, is 
newly erected from the plans of Mr. Diaper, and in its interior—its hall 
with mosaic floor of polished woods, its marble staircase, frescoed 
apartments, and spacious adjoining conservatory—is perhaps the most 
splendid in the Union. The grounds are yet newly laid out, but with 
much judgment; and six or seven milea of winding, gravelled roads 
and walks have been formed—their boundaries now leading over level 
meadows, and now winding through woody dells. The drives thus af¬ 
forded, are almost unrivalled in extent and variety, and give the stran¬ 
ger or guest, an opportunity of seeing the near, and distant views to the 
best advantage.—p. 37. 
of the modern style. The details of the art next come 
in order; and the treatment of woods and plantations, the 
grouping and arrangement of trees, and their peculiar 
characteristic expressions; with a subsequent full trea¬ 
tise on the individual ornamental trees adapted to the cli¬ 
mate of the country, and the places to be assigned them 
in ornamental grounds, follow successively in course. 
Another section is devoted to the treatment of ground and 
the formation of walks; another to the formation of arti¬ 
ficial lakes and the management of brooks, cascades and 
waterfalls; and another to rural architecture, with the 
features and associations of the different styles, illustrated 
by many views. The work concludes with a chapter on 
rural embellishments. An appendix contains many prac¬ 
tical directions, and also a minute, and consequently use¬ 
ful and instructive description, by J. C. Loudon, of a mo¬ 
derate, but very beautiful suburban residence in the neigh¬ 
borhood of London, an excellent specimen of the modern 
style, and which every one, wishing to become well ac¬ 
quainted with it, would do well to study. From this ge¬ 
neral enumeration of the subjects of the work, our read¬ 
ers may form a faint idea of the vast fund of value and 
interest it must contain, every department being treated 
of in a manner eminently interesting to a person of any 
taste. Indeed, we found it very difficult to tear ourselves 
away from its fascinations, during the first examination. 
The works of Loudon, which have been extensively 
read in America with a corresponding influence on this 
art, though pre-eminent for their plain, practical, con¬ 
densed style, and for the good sense, general correct 
taste, and adaptedness of principles, indicate nevertheless 
a far less appreciation of the picturesque than is contain¬ 
ed in the work before us. The favor with which Lou¬ 
don regarded the old or geometric style of gardening and 
planting, we consider as nearly his only failure in this 
respect, except which, his writings possess a practical 
value rarely if ever equalled. But on the other hand, the 
work of Mr. Downing has been eminently successful in 
laying down the principles of expression, whether of 
single trees and objects, or as grouped without discord in 
a varied and extensive landscape. He very properly ex¬ 
poses the absurdity of the geometric style, where “the 
greatest care was taken to avoid any appearance of irre¬ 
gularity. A tree upon one side of the house, was oppo¬ 
sed by another vis a vis , and a row of trees at the right 
of the mansion had its always accompanying row on the 
left; or as Pope in his satire has more rythmically ex¬ 
pressed it— 
“ Grove nods to grove, each alley has its brother, 
And half the platform just reflects the other.” 
The old gardener to the Earl of Selkirk was very 
strongly imbued with the old style mania, when, having 
shut up a thief for stealing fruit, in one summer house, 
was compelled, for the sake of symmetry, to confine his 
own son in the summer house opposite. The extent to 
which this mania was carried, in distorting nature into 
odd conceits, with little or no exercise of taste for her 
