Gardens and Their Accessories 



287 



For the uses of the ordinary American garden the fountain should be com- 

 paratively simple, and a very good suggestion has been offered that the basin be 

 constructed with an outward flare and without moulding on the inside, so that 

 lifting ice may not crack it. It is well, too, that the water should be fairly close 

 to the rim, and that 

 its depth be not over 

 2 or 3 feet, also that 

 stagnant water is 

 not desirable. 



The s h u t - o ff 

 should be located in 

 the shrubbery or 

 some other con- 

 venient place where 

 it will not be a notice- 

 able feature. The 

 fountain is set on a 

 solid, sunken base, 

 under the finished 

 basin. The basin 

 itself may be lined 

 with hydraulic 

 cement, laid on brick 

 or rough stone. It 

 is well that this support be firm and solid, otherwise the basin may crack and leak. 



The sun-dial is an old garden feature which can well be used in any 

 American garden, although being more particularly suited to the English and 

 Colonial types. As a small bit of accessory it is excellent, and often in a very 

 small garden may form the central motive. It should, however, be placed in such 

 a position that it will serve the purpose intended of it, and to this end it should be 

 carefully and properly set. 



In setting the dial it is necessary that the base be absolutely level; the placing 

 of it in position at exactly noon, at the proper angle to the sun, is an easy matter. 

 A reproduction of the old brass dial may be procured for $10. 



The use of statuary should be limited, and its selection most carefully made. 

 The reasons that make it advisable to eliminate the hideous from the fountain 

 should be borne in mind, and a severe line be drawn at "death agonies" and 

 the like. The most natural representations are those of the faun, nymph and 

 satyr. Mythology suggests much that is good for the garden, particularly those 

 already mentioned. There are of course other forms more or less fitted for the 

 purpose, but the owner should use his best judgment as to their fitness. 



Garden pots are used as a receptacle for shrubs or small decorative trees, 

 and the combined motive is exceedingly valuable in marking emphatic angles of 

 the design, in which case they are usually placed directly on the ground or a 

 flat base provided for them. They are also used on the top of walls or fences, 

 in which case they should be over a post or pilaster. Several" of the old Roman 



' Maxwell Court." The pergola from the outside of the garden 



