304 Rustic Adornments. 
its association with objects of interest enhances its beauty, and supplies also 
the justification of usefulness. Where the space and circumstances admit, 
water should always be enriched by plantations; clumps of trees, ferneries, 
rockeries, and belts of shrub are appropriate accessories; but they must be 
adapted in style to other surroundings, and the general character of the place; 
and there is a certain point at which to stop in the work of embellishment, or 
the whole affair may be overdone. 
Fountains are not so generally employed in garden embellishment as they 
were prior to the change in taste from the formal to the natural style of 
landscape gardening. But still there are many who yet remain faithful to the 
old style, and who consequently 
would not consider their garden 
complete without its fountain. 
And as we are bound to study 
all tastes as far as we can, we 
must not omit a brief reference 
to the subject in this chapter. 
It may be as well here to say, 
that for a fountain there must 
be a reserve of water at a higher 
level than the fountain itself. 
In towns this is easily accom¬ 
plished by constructing a cistern 
in some elevated part of the 
residence, and securing a supply 
to it from the ordinary water- 
pipes. Then from the cistern there must be another service to the 
fountain. If the house is far removed from the fountain, it will be 
better to place the cistern on the summit of a tower, shed, summer¬ 
house or other structure, as the longer the supply-pipe the more will 
the play of the fountain be lessened by friction; for though water will 
always rise in a pipe to the level of the point of departure, it requires 
time to do so, and friction reduces the rapidity of the flow, and hence 
the force with which a fountain will play cannot be determined solely 
by the difference of altitude between the jet and the cistern. If the 
supply-pipe is one hundred yards in length, the height of the fountain 
will be reduced one foot below what it would attain if the supply were close 
. (V vi\ «■ 
A NATURAL SPRING. 
4 
