Water Features on the Country Place 
THE DESIRABILITY OF SOME SORT OF A POOL IN THE GARDEN OF SMALL SIZE AS 
WELL AS ON THE GREAT ESTATE—PRACTICAL DETAILS OF INSTALLATION AND CARE 
by Grace Tabor 
Photographs by N. R. Graves, M. H. Northend and others 
T AKE it whichever way we 
may—seriously or as a 
plaything—water, in the intimacy 
of the garden, is a constant de¬ 
light. Yonder by the rambler as 
I write a big, sleek catbird is 
drinking at the concrete basin — a 
basin of crudest home construc¬ 
tion, made from some “left-over” 
building materials that would 
otherwise have been thrown away. 
And here, breathless from the 
vain pursuit around the lawn of a 
distracting big butterfly, comes the 
dog, to stand up and lap greedily. 
How they all enjoy it! And 
how pleasant it is to see things 
enjoyed. Hardly five minutes of 
the day passes without a swift 
flutter of wings toward the bath, a 
busy hopping about on the stones 
which give the water its varying 
depths, and a glad dipping deep 
of little bills and a lifting high of 
little heads, with lingering appre¬ 
ciation. And in the early morn¬ 
ing, what a gathering for ablu¬ 
tions ; what splashing and spar¬ 
kling in the sunlight — all for fifty 
cents worth of cement, a little in¬ 
genuity and a daily pail of water 
brought out and poured in. 
It is a far cry from a bird-bath 
of this kind to the great water 
garden — but there are possibilities 
for all tastes, situations and re¬ 
sources at every step, all along the 
way. And “water, water every¬ 
where” almost for no effort at all. 
Even a fairly large pool is per¬ 
fectly feasible without either sup¬ 
ply or drain pipes, if the work of pumping it out is not too much 
to undertake, when occasion demands; for a hose will fill it and 
keep it at the required level all summer, goldfish will prevent 
mosquitoes from breeding in it, and sub-aquatic plants like the 
giant water weed (Anacharis Canadensia) or eel grass ( Vallisneria 
spiralis ) will aerate the water 
and keep it sweet, and its own 
overflow will water the iris that 
naturally will be nearby. 
There are three things which 
make or mar the success of any 
pool. These are its location; its 
form and immediate surround¬ 
ings ; and the plants which occu¬ 
py it, if plants do occupy it. A 
pool too thickly planted is like 
no pool at all, so far as effect is 
concerned, for the water is in¬ 
visible. Never less than two- 
thirds of the total water surface 
should be exposed. 
For this reason a very small 
pool should either not be planted 
at all, save on its margin with 
grass or iris perhaps; or else it 
should be planted with only one 
small water plant—a water lily 
like Nmphaea pygmaca — or 
stocked with a floating plant 
which may be kept within 
bounds very easily by simply 
taking some out whenever it is 
necessary. The water chestnut 
or water caltrops Trapa natans, 
which bears white flowers, is 
one of these; water hyacinth— 
(Eichornia crassipes — E. speci- 
osa according to some dealers) — 
is another. This, by the way, is 
the famous “million dollar weed” 
of the St. Johns river in Florida, 
where it obstructs navigation. It 
has blue hyacinth-like flowers. 
Still another attractive floating 
plant — attractive in foliage 
though it has no flowers — is 
Salvinia Brasilicnsis. All three of these are annuals, but a clump 
may be carried over indoors during the winter, in an aquarium 
or a jardiniere. 
The form and immediate surroundings of an artificial pool 
will depend of course upon the plan of the garden which it is to 
Fortunate indeed is the man who may have a pond of some 
extent and its adjoining moist borders for the irises and 
other water-loving plants 
(8fl) 
