PRACTICAL BOOK OF GARDEN ARCHITECTURE 



appear on the wrong side of the account book when 

 the dam begins to leak. The sand will prove very 

 useful, however, when it can be used with a suffi- 

 cient mixture of clay, at the back of the dam where 

 it does not come in direct contact with water. Earth 

 and sand also may be used for the entire filling of a 

 large dam, built with a concrete core. Mr. Claude 

 Miller, an authority on the subject, recommends this 

 treatment for large surfaces* as being both inexpen- 

 sive and satisfactory. According to his estimate a 

 dam built of earth, with a concrete core, may be 

 figured at about thirty to forty cents per cubic yard 

 for filling, and from twenty to thirty cents per cubic 

 foot for concrete work. In treating a leaky dam, he 

 claims that "it often may be cured by facing it with 

 clay or earth. If the lake cannot be drawn down, this 

 facing may simply be dumped in the water, and 

 allowed to find its own resting place." I would 

 advise, however, that this should not be attempted 

 by the amateur craftsman in dam building. It will 

 be better to draw the water from the lake even if 

 the process is tedious and difficult and thoroughly 

 repair the leak in the dam with concrete, as a leaky 

 dam is a constant aggravation in its serviceable fea- 

 tures, and a decided failure when it is to contribute 

 to the home attractions by furnishing an abundant 



water-fall. 



210 



