LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 297 



doulDtfiil, it is better at once to provide it. But many streams, 

 however small, may be made ornamental by first opening the 

 bed of the water, or rather the channel, to a proper orna- 

 mental figure, widening it where desirable, and so adapting 

 the outline to the place and plan of the work, as to secure a 

 picturesque and natural appearance. 



Waterfalls. — But it may be, and generally is the case 

 with streams that are insignificant in appearance, that it arises 

 from the too rapid descent of the channel. In this case begin 

 by damming up the lower part, where it leaves the ground, 

 high enough to fill up to the banks there, and as they may 

 not fill it, a long way back other dams must be placed across 

 higher up, to fill it there, and so on, that it may form a series 

 of smooth water and falls, entirely through the ground. All 

 these falls may be made ornamental ; that is, a bed of stones 

 on the lower side of the dam may be piled up against it, and 

 made perfectly solid, that the water, little as it may be, shall 

 run over the surface, and not be lost to appearance by sinking 

 into them. They can also be made rugged, and portions of 

 them reach above the dam to drive the little water there is 

 through less openings. Nor need the stones be in a line 

 across the river ; they may imitate a natural barrier ; but it 

 need not be mentioned, perhaps, that whatever width the bed 

 of the river be made, so that the bottom be puddled and the 

 sides made to retain water, the stream will fill it, and then 

 allowing for increased evaporation and waste, the supjDly will 

 go over at the bottom ; so that a very inconsiderable rivulet 

 will be readily converted to a respectable river, and perhaps 

 may be aided very much by tile drains from the higher 

 grounds run diagonally into the stream ; or if more water be 

 absolutely necessary, we must resort to boring. 



All rivers are capable of improvement, or the grounds that 

 immediately join may be so managed as to greatly improve 

 the appearance. The most awkward to manage are those 

 whose bed lies very much lower than the banks. Here we 

 must resort to damming up the water as before mentioned, 

 but presuming there is a good supply, it wall make a respect- 

 able cascade at some — the best adapted — part of the ground 

 towards the lower end of the stream. But it may be that the 

 river turns some mills, and that there are other obstacles to 

 the damming up of the water ; in this case the ground jnust 

 be lowered near the sides of the river to the water's edge, 



