THE DECORATIVE TREATMENT OF WATER. 



which would have made a sheet of water of noble proportions. The hard undulating 

 line of the long embankment could never be softened off by suitable planting on account 

 of the depth of the ground level behind it as well as its sodden state. 



It will thus be seen that a naturally treated lake formed on the slope of a hill or 

 anywhere but in the bottom of a hollow, where all natural lakes are found, can never 

 be anything but a dismal failure, and, in such a position, should never be attempted ; in 

 such circumstances a formal pond is the only kind .which can succeed. Nor is it a wise 



policy to place an in- 

 formal sheet of water 

 within sight of a large 

 natural lake, a broad 

 river or the open sea. 

 The inevitable compari- 

 son cannot fail to be 

 odious and to the detri- 

 ment of the smaller 

 artificial sheet. 



However carefully 

 the lake itself may be 

 formed and designed in 

 relation to its surround- 

 ings, the ultimate effect 

 must depend very largely 

 on the arrangement of 

 the foliage which is to 

 adorn its banks. The 

 old adage, " Plant the 

 hills and flood the 

 hollows " is always a safe 

 one to follow, and if the 

 hollows are deepened to 

 form bays and the ex- 

 cavated material is used 

 to add to the boldness 

 of the headlands and 

 so throw up the native 

 foliage with which they 

 should be crowned, the 

 best possible result will 

 usually be obtained. 

 The ideal to be aimed 

 at is clearly indicated 

 in the photographs of 

 the Brathay Craggs on Windermere, shown in illustrations Nos. 4 and 5, and though 

 it may not often be possible to achieve results on this scale, still the effect aimed 

 at should be the same. From these considerations we may form the general rule 

 that the headlands should be planted, and that in the bays the grass should slope 

 right down to the water in a natural manner, thus giving open vistas across the lake. 

 It should always be remembered, however, that too much foliage, especially if the supply 

 of fresh water to the lake is small, tends to foul it. 



For the higher portions of the banks, masses of Scotch fir interspersed with silver 



FIG. 26l. ARTIFICIAL ROCKWORK AT BALLIMORE, ARGYLESHIRE. 



196 



