Nothing is more common than for gentlemen of leisure, who have small country residences, to attend nurserymen's sales, and purchase articles they do not want, merely because they are cheap. These cheap purchases are often fatal to the general effect of a small place. Room must be found for the trees and shrubs which have been bought; and, wherever there is an open space on the lawn, one or more are put down in the middle of that space. "Surely, Mr. L.," we have been told a hundred times, "there can be no harm in putting down a single tree, more especially as we always plant them in the middle of open spaces, where there are no others near!" Persons arguing thus, little know that a very few single trees, put down on this principle of "always placing them in the middle of an open space, where there are no others near," would destroy the effect of the finest place in existence. Single trees, in a park or pleasure-ground, are like the last touches of an artist in painting a landscape. The hold striking effects of light, shade, and character are given by the masses; but the expression of these masses, and the attractions by which the eye is led to enjoy them, are produced by the last touches.

The great general effect of the grounds of a residence depends on there being open spaces where there are no trees, to contrast with other spaces which are entirely covered with trees; and the finish to these grand features of wood and lawn consists in the single trees and small groups which are distributed along their margins. Soon after Sir Henry Steuaxt's Planter's Guide was published, the idea of transplanting large trees by machinery took possession of many country gentlemen of leisure; and the breadth of effect of many lawns and parks, and the grouping along the margins of lawns in others, were destroyed, by always putting down these large trees in those open spaces where it was thought that they would not interfere with anything else. A gentleman who possesses one of the handsomest small places on the banks of the Thames, between London and Gravesend, covered almost the entire surface not occupied by old trees, with young single trees at similar distances, without even employing a gardener to guide his labourers in planting them.

In such a situation as the very remarkable one to which we allude, before a single tree could be put down with propriety, its future effect should have been studied from various points of view; and there is no landscape-gardener who would not consider the putting down of even one tree, in such a case, a difficult and delicate task. But profound ignorance of any subject is favourable to courage, and our planter put them in by hundreds; but, fortunately, as they were planted three or four times too deep, in a soil consisting, in many places, of strong clay, almost the whole of them died the second year.

294. Professional Routine

We shall now go through what may be called the professional routine of fixing on a situation; making the plans for laying out a residence; and carrying these plans into execution.