WATER. 
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413 
WATER. 
to the leaves of the plants, are 
always extended to some distance 
_from the stem ; and hence it fol- 
lows that a plant may be moistened 
_ immediately round the stem with- 
our rendering it any service, but, 
on the contrary, incurring the risk 
of rotting it; while, if watered at 
some distance from the stem, it! of any length, provided they are 
may be nourished in reality, and 
yet have the appearance of being 
starved for want of moisture. 
For certain kinds of plants, such 
as the Hydrangea and the Balsam, 
Coxcombs, Chrysanthemums, and 
others which are of vigorous growth, 
water may be mixed with manure ; 
such as concentrated stable-dung, 
recent sheep’s-dung, or any other 
description of animal manure which 
is soluble in water. For some 
plants, such as heaths and most of 
the hair-rooted shrubs and _ herbs, 
this liquid manure is found to be 
injurious ; but for many others, ap- 
plied when they are in a growing 
state, it is found greatly to increase 
their vigour. 
Water as an element of landscape 
scenery, is exhibited in small gar- 
dens either in ponds or basins, of 
regular geometrical or architectural 
forms; or in ponds or small lakes 
of irregular forms in imitation of 
the shapes seen in natural land- 
scape. In general all geometrical 
or architectural basins of water 
ought to have the margins of ma- 
sonry, or at least of stones placed 
so as to imitate a rocky margin. 
The reason is, that by these means 
the artificial character is heighten- 
ed, and also a colour is introduced 
between the surrounding grass, 
vegetation, gravel, or dug-ground, 
which harmonizes the water with 
the land. Artificial shapes of this 
kind should never be of great diam- 
eter, because in that case the arti- 
ficial character is comparatively 
lost, and the idea of nature occurs 
to the spectator. When round or 
35* 
square, they should not be of greater 
diameter than the house or building 
to which they belong; but a better 
effect will be produced by their 
being smaller, as is shown in the 
architectural basins of Italy, and 
the tanks of Persia and India. 
When of oblong forms they may be 
never of any great breadth; be- 
cause in this case they never can 
be seen in such a manner as to obli- 
terate the idea of high art, the stone 
margins being always in part, at 
least, near the eye. 
Water in unitation of nature 
should be in ponds or basins of 
uregular shape; but always so 
contrived as to display one main 
feature or breadth of water. A 
pond, however large it may be, if 
equally broken throughout by isl- 
ands, or by projections from the 
shores, can have no pictorial beauty ; 
because it is without effect and does 
not form a whole. The general 
extent and outline of a piece of wa- 
ter being fixed on, the interior of 
the pond or lake is to be treated 
entirely as a lawn. If small, it 
will require no islands; but if so 
large as to require some, they must 
be distributed towards the sides, so 
-as to vary the outline and to harmo- 
nize the pond with the surrounding 
scenery, and yet to preserve one 
broad expanse of water; exactly 
in the same manner as in varying 
a lawn with shrubs and flowers, 
landscape gardeners preserve one 
broad expanse of turf. The margin 
of pieces of water in imitation of 
nature, should be a refined imita- 
tion of what is seen in natural lakes. 
The turf should never exactly touch 
the water, because the green of the 
one and the blue of the other do 
not harmonize. In nature, the 
harmony is provided for by the 
water sinking lower at one time 
than it does at others ; which leaves 
a dark line of soil even in the most 
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