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from straight to waving or serpentine lines. Hence many ofhis followers had supposed good taste in gardening to consist inavoiding all lines that are straight or parallel, and in adoptingforms which they deem more consonant to nature, without con-sidering what objects were natural and what were artificial.
This explanation is necessary to justify the plan which Irecommended for the canal in this flower garden: for while Ishould condemn a long straight line of water in an open park,where every thing else is natural; I should equally object to ameandering canal or walk, by the side of a long straight wall,where every thing else is artificial.
A flower garden should be an object detached and distinctfrom the general scenery of the place; and whether large orsmall, whether varied or formal, it ought to be protected fromhares and smaller animals'by an inner fence: within this enclo-sure rare plants of every description should be encouraged, andprovision made of soil, and aspect for every different class.Beds of bog earth should be prepared for the American plants.the aquatic plants, some of which are peculiarly beautiful, shouldgrow on the surface or near the edges of water. The nu-merous class of rock plants should have beds of rugged stoneprovided for their reception, without the • affectation of suchs tones being the natural production of the soil : but above all,there should be poles or hoops for those kind of creeping plantswhich spontaneously form themselves into graceful festoons,when encouraged and supported by art.
Yet with all these circumstances the flower garden, exceptwhere it is annexed to the house, should not be visible from theroads or general walks about the place. It may therefore be of