NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL LAKES 







A lake that is fed by a brook may form a special 

 decorative feature by means of pictorial rock work. 

 Avoid sameness in the arrangement of the rocks 

 along the edge of the stream and in the bed of the 

 brook. Let them range from big bowlders to little 

 stepping stones across shallow fording places. Have 

 their bare, rough surfaces partially screened with 

 dainty bog plants; and in the bed of the shallow 

 stream have luxuriant growths of water plants 

 reaching up over the bowlders, protecting the bank, 

 and the source of supply will be as attractive as the 

 lake itself. 



For those who admire garden statuary, this may 

 be made an acceptable feature in ornamenting sec- 

 tions of the big water garden; but it must be used 

 in moderation. The Greeks used to group choice 

 bits of classical statuary beside their sacred springs ; 

 these were not only treasured for their decorative 

 value, but because they were supposed to personify 

 the nymphs that haunted these mystic shrines of 

 beauty. In order to have types of lake statuary 

 harmonious and pleasing, it must be carefully chosen 

 to follow the Grecian idea. It is very easy to overdo 

 this form of decoration. Large trees for lake mar- 

 gins must be handled with equal care. It is best 

 to err on the side of simplicity rather than on that 

 of ostentation. 



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