THE BOG GARDEN 97 



troublesome matter when the stream is so 

 small that there is not sufficient volume of 

 water to supply all the boggy patches with the 

 required amount of moisture, or when it is 

 liable to dry up in summer ; and still more 

 difficult when there is no stream at all to 

 work with. In either of these cases it will be 

 necessary to prepare these marshy beds in such 

 a way that the moisture will be retained. 



To accomplish this it will be necessary to 

 make the bottom of the bed fairly water-tight 

 with either concrete or yellow clay. Of the 

 two, concrete gives better and more permanent 

 results. 



The directions are fairly simple. Dig out 

 a hollow about 2 feet 6 inches deep of the 

 required size and shape. 



Over the bottom of it put a layer 4 to 6 

 inches thick of concrete, about 6 parts of 

 coarse sand to i of cement. At the lower end, 

 about J-inch above the level of the bottom, 

 put a pipe of i-inch or i^-inch bore; this 

 should lead into some drain or other means of 

 carrying off the water, in case it at any time be 

 thought expedient to run it off from the bog- 



