PONDS AND LAKES. 239 



tion, in growing, a good collection of water-plants, and how 

 reasonably satisfactory water- effects were contrived on my 

 lawns. At a comparatively early period in life, having 

 a comfortable fortune, the desire took possession of me to 

 have a country-place. 



With my country-place came the usual failures and 

 successes that are incident to the construction of lawns and 

 gardens in the hands of amateurs. The failures, I am frank 

 enough to confess, . much outnumbered the successes. I 

 shall, however, content myself with giving a brief account 

 of my lily-pond work. The soil on my place, of one 

 hundred acres, was gravel and sand, and a stream or pond 

 on one side of it had a clean pebbly bottom and water that 

 flowed rapidly down a decline. The water was only a few 

 inches deep in many places. I thought it would be a good 

 plan to dig out the bottom a bit, and in this way lost 

 much valuable fertilizing material. However, I did not 

 mind that, as I expected to dig a hole for each water-plant 

 and to fill it up with good soil from the neighboring field. 

 At this early period of my lawn-planting I unfortunately 

 gave little thought to the quality of the soil. A charming 

 magazine article had fallen into my hands and completely 

 fascinated me with its dainty, fanciful description of lilies 

 grown in a pond-hole or ditch. It all seemed so easy : just 

 a few water-plants set out in what appeared the easiest and 

 simplest fashion, and lo ! you had a feast of lilies and lily- 

 pads. The plants seemed to have just grown themselves, 

 like Topsy in " Uncle Tom's Cabin." At this time I was 

 greatly impressed with the idea of planting the lawn with 

 trees and shrubs from the woods, sweet fern, sumach, 



