THE TREATMENT OF WATER 55 



highly cultivated portion of the grounds. Hence there 

 was no question of any necessity for formal treatment ; 

 the stream as a matter of fact might have been left 

 exactly as it was, without incongruity. However, it 

 offered opportunities of a kind not to be missed, and a 

 few months later I went to see what had been effected. 

 To begin with, the stream had been "cleaned out" for 

 its entire length, which meant that every particle of 

 water weed, every tuft of rush and sedge had been 

 destroyed ; a quantity of mud and sludge had been 

 dredged up and thrown on either bank, and a bridge or 

 two was thrown across for no apparent purpose. By 

 means of a small dam, a suitable depression in the 

 ground had been flooded into a miniature lake, from 

 whose surface rose two aggressive little islands, planted 

 with small conifers and dotted with rocks. Clumps of 

 iris lined the shore, lilies had been planted, and twining 

 round the whole so as to give easy access to every part, 

 was a serpentine path, immaculately gravelled. As I 

 believe the owner has since repented, I mention this as 

 an instance of what should not be done in similar cases. 



A more rational and certainly more artistic way of 

 treating this same stream, would have been to consider 

 it as part of the wild garden. By free drainage of the 

 surrounding land its volume might have been increased, 

 so as to give it more the appearance of an impetuous 

 mountain brook than a sluggish and somewhat tame little 

 piece of water. Each cascade might have been deepened 

 so as to give the water a greater fall, and small back- 

 water pools where lilies and water plants could be 

 introduced, would have added to the interest without 

 appearing in any way artificial. Any increased force of 

 water would necessitate higher banks, and these would 

 be built in close imitation of those already existing. 

 The strata being rocky, the soil might have been cleared 

 in places, and the bare stone exposed ; it would become 



