RIVER GARDENS; 



sweet and lulling sensation, as by a kind of silent 

 music. But, instead of stopping to admire the 

 effect of the first steps in our plantation, let us 

 first ascertain whether all the necessary conditions 

 in the preparation of the vessel have been properly 

 complied with. 



In the first place, it should be filled with water 

 some days before the introduction of the plants, 

 and so long as any prismatic scum makes its appear- 

 ance at the surface, the water should be changed, 

 as that is a certain indication that the cement, or 

 other materials used in the construction of the tank, 

 are not, as yet, thoroughly cleansed and seasoned. 

 "When, at last, the water remains perfectly clear, 

 then, and not before, we may begin to introduce 

 our plants. It may be as well to observe, en pas- 

 sant, that the scum just alluded to may possibly 

 arise from some improper materials employed in 

 the ornamental rockwork intended to imitate the 

 picturesque bed of the river, on which the garden 

 is about to be planted. Any pieces of rock con- 

 taining metal are bad, as are also all kinds of dross, 

 such as clinkers from glasshouses, etc., and should 

 be removed, if found to produce the effect described. 

 Picturesquely formed stones, gathered from the 

 pebbly beds of brooks or the rocky shallows of 



