SOILS AND PLANTING OUT 45 



best to avoid this difficulty by giving nelum- 

 biums a pond to themselves. 



It is always best to have the ponds built with 

 perfectly plain bottoms, as special receptacles 

 can always be introduced as necessary to 

 accommodate over-vigorous growers. The 

 compartments may be of either brick or wood. 

 When bricks are used, (except for nelum- 

 biums) do not cement them together, but 

 merely build a loose wall by arranging them 

 in alternating layers. The shape of such 

 receptacles will depend upon circumstances, 

 that is to say, on the size and the kind of 

 plant to be introduced and the taste of the 

 builder. Their measurements ordinarily are 

 made to vary from i x 2 ft. to 2 x 4 ft. The 

 depth is always the depth of the pond. They 

 will be found best adapted to hardy species 

 of aquatic plants other than lilies, which 

 ought to be set out during the early part of 

 the year, like the water parsnip {Sium cicu- 

 tcefoUum), the water poppy {Limnocharis 

 Humholdtii), or the various species of Jus- 

 sieua. A tank 24 feet long and 15 feet broad 



