THE DECORATIVE TREATMENT OF WATER. 



Dipping 

 wells . 



Cascades 



be two separate sources of supply. Thus in the case of the fountain shown in illustra- 

 tion No. 242 and already referred to, the central jet might be fed by the smaller and 

 reliable supply, while a bubble fountain, to be used only when the larger and more fickle 

 stream is available, might be arranged under the arched cavity at the base of the central 

 shaft. It is possible to imagine a case in which a third and possibly expensive supply 

 were added for occasional use, when the same fountain might be fitted with jets rising 

 on all sides from near the rim of the lower basin and sprouting inwards into the higher 

 basin after the manner of Carpeaux's fountain of the Zodiac. Thus, whether one, two 

 or three sources of supply were in use, the fountain would have the appearance of being 

 fully furnished and complete. 



If aquatic plants are to be grown in a fountain basin, it should be made large enough 

 to allow of their being placed away from the main streams of falling water, or they 

 will be in danger of being beaten down by it, and if gold or silver carp are to swim in 

 it, some shelter from the light should be provided either in the form of plants or loose 

 stones. It is not generally known that they cannot close their eyes. 



The dipping well for use in the kitchen garden has the special advantage of ful- 

 filling a utilitarian purpose as well as allowing of artistic treatment. As every gardener 

 knows, icy-cold water drawn direct from the supply pipe, should not be used for watering 



purposes, but it should be exposed to the air 

 for a time in order that it may take the 

 temperature of the surrounding atmosphere 

 before being poured or syringed over the 

 plants, and this can best be accomplished by 

 the provision of a dipping well in a central 

 position in the kitchen garden. How the well 

 and its surroundings may be composed into one 

 of the most attractive features in the domain 

 is described in Chapter XV., and it is sufficient 

 here to describe its construction. 



The most effective dipping wells are, as 

 a rule, those which are formed from old 

 well-heads imported from Italy and which were 

 originally constructed by hollowing out the 



capital of a pillar from a ruined temple dedicated to one of the deities of the Roman 

 pantheon. Sometimes they have been provided with a wrought-iron over-head arrange- 

 ment from which to suspend the rope and bucket, and this may with advantage be retained 

 as an ornamental feature. Another very useful form consists of a hexagonal or octagonal 

 brick structure with a plain coping made from stone flags. From the nature of its 

 position in the more utilitarian portion of the grounds, great elaboration in its design 

 would be entirely out of place. 



Dipping wells should, of course, be fitted with a water supply, and where it can be 

 contrived so as to be out of sight and safe from damage from cans or buckets, a ball 

 tap to keep the water-level constant should be added. 



Architecturally treated cascades can only be successfully formed where the character 

 of the accompanying architecture demands magnificence. As before stated, opportunities 

 for work of this character on the largest scale will only seldom occur in this country, 

 and it is difficult to conceive any circumstances which would allow of anything on 

 the scale of the cascades at the Villa d'Este. This is not only the result of a national 

 conservatism which makes any superlative effort after grandeur appear forced and un- 

 natural, but also of climatic conditions. In hot and dry countries, such as Italy or 

 India, such features appear indigenous, but here, where only one or two months in the 



FIG. 248. 



186 



