LANDSCAPE GARDENING.
the infancy of human arts, all gardening would be com prehended in the culture of a few fruits and esculent plants in a very limited space ; but at present, the word garden has at least three distinct significations : to designate a spot, destined for the culture of fruits and culinary vege tables; to mark a space, devoted to flowers and botanical pursuits ; and to denote a more extended scene, characte rized by forest trees, and walks for shade and recreation, and combining such other objects belonging to external scenery, as taste, art, or locality, may confer. For kitchen gardening and botanic gardening, we refer to our view of HORTICULTURE. The art of forming the third class of gardens, and to which we propose in this article to confine our attention, has been, till of late, indifferently known, un der the terms pleasure, ornamental, and rural gardening ; but is now more generally designated landscape gard ming, a very happy term, particularly as applied to the modern style of laying out grounds. But as we intend directing
our attention to both styles, we shall employ the term gar dening as a generic distinction, comprehending both the geometric or ancient, and the modern or landscape garden ing. We shall arrange our observations in the following order : 1. An historical view of ornamental gardening, ancient and modern.
2. The object of this art, and the principles of composi tion adapted to it.
3. The application of these principles to the different materials employed in forming a country residence.
4. The application of these principles, in uniting these materials in compositions or constituent parts of a country residence.
5. The union of these constituent parts, in the formation of the different varieties of country residences.
6. The practice of landscape gardening.