TEXT B. THE ENGLISH LANDSCAPE

— I know that there are many types of natural scenery in England. But what is there in the English landscape that strikes the eye of the stranger used to other countries?

— Its "park-like" appearance, I believe. England in truth looks like one great well-ordered park with its old trees, green meadows and hedges.[66]

— But as far as I know the hedges take up a consider­able part of soil suitable for ploughing.

— They do. But the Englishman loves the green of En­gland with its hedges, tender-green in spring, covered with leaf and flower in summer, a blaze of gold and red in autumn. In winter too they are still beautiful with a few scarlet berries almost burning in the frost.

— And yet, if England swept away her hedges and put in their place fences the saving of land would be enormous.

— But much of the park-like beauty of the countryside would be gone and with it the peculiar character of the En­glish landscape.

— I hear there are a lot of lovely gardens all along the English countryside. Are English people fond of gardening?

— They are. Almost every one in England tries to come in touch with a bit of plant life. In the East of London you may see workingman's "flats" with their window gardens. In the West End, land which is worth many thousands of pounds per acre is devoted to garden use. In the small suburban vil­las a very considerable tax of money and labour is paid in the effort to keep in good order a little pocket handkerchief of lawn and a few shrubs.

— Well, I think that this proves that the Englishman is at heart a great lover of nature, though he is supposed to be such a prosaic and practical person.

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