32 
BELDT'S AQUARIUM, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 
HOW TO BUILD A LILY POOL 
The important points are the following: 
location, depth, expense, and size. 
The location should be as much as pos¬ 
sible away from very large trees. Water 
lilies thrive best where they receive a lot of 
sun. 
A Pool Three Feet Deep Is Best 
The depth of a pool is best at about 
three feet. The goldfish live over-winter easy 
in a pool three feet deep and this is very 
important. There are quite a number of fish 
that get too large to be kept indoors and if 
the pool is shallow they have to be kept in¬ 
doors during the winter months. Also all 
hardy lilies and aquatics may be left right 
in the pool over-winter. 
Our illustration shows the construction 
of a pool such as we use extensively for 
propagation. 
A Sloping Wall Is Stronger 
The side walls are built on a slant. This 
keeps the walls from breaking as the ice rises as it gets thicker 
and therefore, there is little pressure on the walls. This is a 
great point to be considered, not only as a safeguard against 
heavy freezing, but also it saves quite a bit of expense in con¬ 
struction. Absolutely no lumber is necessary to build these 
walls. The concrete mixture is poured right on the ground. 
It should be stiff enough to keep it from running. If the 
owner, however, desires a nice straight edge instead of an edge 
laid with rocks as our illustration shows all that is necessary 
is to lay 6-inch boards on top of the ground and space them 
in straight lines around the pool. Another frame of 6-inch 
boards laid inside of this completes the frame. After pouring 
concrete in same, a nice wall is obtained around the pool. The 
lily boxes can be made of concrete for permanence, or may 
just be wooden boxes. A retaining wall is built near edge of 
pool, about 1 foot deep and in this space, which is filled with 
garden soil, all various bog plants, such as Umbrella Plants, 
Arrow Heads, Parrot Feather, Thalia, Egyptian Lotus, etc., 
are planted. Various hardy lilies and ornamental grasses are 
planted near the edge to give the pool a natural and formal 
appearance. 
An Empty Pool Breaks Easier in Winter Than a Filled Pool 
Do not empty a pool in winter time if it is deep enough. 
The frost never reaches to the bottom of a deep pool and the 
water in same is a protection. When a pool is emptied the 
ground all around and underneath freezes. Frozen ground 
expands and when it settles in the spring it may cause the 
pool to crack. 
Fish Can Not Be Put in New Pool 
A newly constructed pool must be seasoned. That is when 
the pool is filled with water the first time, the water absorbs 
the lime contained in the concrete. This is fatal to fish and 
their fins get ragged in several days. It usually ends in fungus 
(a white cotton like growth). 
How to Prevent Fungus in a New Pool 
Fill pool with water, let it stand one week and empty it. 
Repeat this and after the third filling it usually is good for fish. 
A pool, however, may be painted with asphaltum enamel which 
we can supply for $1.25 per gallon. Asphaltum enamel dries in 
24 hours and the pool can be filled, planted and stocked with 
fish. Asphaltum enamel also stops most slow leaks as it seeps 
into the porous concrete and another great quality to be con¬ 
sidered, the asphaltum coating prevents algae or the slimy 
mosses from rooting in concrete. The water stays cleaner and 
does not get green so fast. Put it on thick. Every pool we 
use is prepared in this manner. We can furnish asphaltum 
enamel in one gallon cans for $1.25 each. Five gallon cans 
for $5.00 per can. 
Concrete Mixture 
Use three wheelbarrows full of gravel and two of sand. 
To this add one sack of cement. For a finish which should 
be one-half inch thick, use 1 wheelbarrow of sifted sand to 2 
sacks of cement. All concrete walls and bottom should be 6 
inches thick. If the sides slant no reinforcing rods are neces¬ 
sary. 
Goldfish Feeding in Winter 
If the pool is three feet deep, the goldfish, if left out¬ 
doors for the winter, should not be fed from the time the ice 
forms until it melts in spring. They become dormant and 
almost lifeless. If kept in the cellar over winter in tubs and 
in a cool place, feed twice a week. If they are kept in an 
aquarium in ordinary living-room temperature, they should 
be fed at least every other day, but never more than a little 
each day. 
Cultural Directions for the Water Garden 
Water lilies unlike the usual garden flowers, require no 
cultivation and very little attention. Once planted, they take 
care of themselves. A well constructed pool once planted 
needs no further attention except feeding fish and removing 
a few old lily pads that become yellow. 
Hardy water lilies and aquatics, also Nelumbiums, may 
be left in the pool all winter, as long as there is one foot of 
water above the roots. In the vicinity of St. Louis 8 inches of 
water above the roots is plenty. In the northern parts of the 
country where the water freezes to a depth of 2 feet or more, 
the hardy lilies are taken in and stored in a cool place, the 
tubers are left in the growing boxes and have to be kept moist. 
About every three years the tubers should be divided and fresh 
soil should be added. 
Preparing Soil 
If good black garden soil is available no manure has to 
be used. Of course a little rotted cow or horse manure will 
