HOUSE AND GARDEN 
| August, 1913 
such a pool should 
slope out at a slight 
angle, otherwise ice 
in winter is apt to do 
damage. They are 
often given a slope of 
forty - five degrees. 
When the concrete is 
hardened, which it 
will do in about two 
days, it is a good plan 
to trowel on a cement 
coating all over the 
inside and finish the 
projecting rim with 
the same material. A 
wooden mold box can 
be built to put the 
proper finish on the 
basin rim. Owing to 
the difficulty in mak¬ 
ing carpentry molds 
that are exact, many 
people prefer to lay 
the base of their pool 
in concrete and build the sides 
of brick set in cement. This is 
quite a satisfactory method of 
procedure, and a brick wall 
will be sufficiently strong, if 
from eight to twelve inches 
wide, for the ordinary pool. 
Brick should be laid in cement 
.mortar, and when the work is 
completed gone over with 
about an inch coat of Port¬ 
land cement. In this way the 
pool will take on a similar ap¬ 
pearance to that of the con¬ 
crete one. 
There is one point in con¬ 
struction that it is worth while 
to make mention of before 
work is begun, and that is to 
make provision for the inlet 
and the outlet pipes. William 
Tricker, who has had 
considerable expe¬ 
rience with lily ponds, 
advocates a n outlet 
standpipe made of sev¬ 
eral detachable sections 
of pipe. This should 
rise perpendicularly 
from the floor of the 
pool, and its top wall 
determine the height 
of water. By simply 
unscrewing the top sec¬ 
tion the water will be 
automatically lowered. 
The inlet is best placed 
on the opposite side, 
and unless there is a 
powerful source o f 
supply, should be bent 
up beyond the level of 
Locate the pool as a garden center. Even the simplest forms are decorative and their 
effect is heightened when not too freely planted 
Such a rectangular pool may be very inexpensively constructed, having 
as its source of supply merely the garden hose 
The sides of this pool are constructed of fairly uniform fieldstones. It was considered 
more desirable to have the reflection from the surface than many growing plants 
the water in the basin. 
But whatever form 
is used, see to it that 
the provisions are 
made while the con¬ 
crete is being laid. 
When the work has 
been smoothed ofif 
with cement and prop¬ 
erly dried, it is well to 
allow water to stand 
in it for a day or two 
and to give it several 
washings, for caustic 
properties in the ce¬ 
ment are apt to do 
damage to water 
plants. Such a basin 
as suggested may be 
used without an inlet 
or outlet. The same 
principles hold true 
when squared field- 
stone is used as the 
material for making 
Treat as with the 
brick, setting the stones in ce¬ 
ment mortar and have a con¬ 
crete floor, but endeavor to 
make a regular coping treat¬ 
ment, if the pool occupies a 
position in the garden proper. 
The main considerations, 
then, are to have the bottom 
of your pool below frost line 
and , provide facilities for 
drawing the water off. 
Although it is impossible to 
give specific direction for 
every place, we have noted 
some general structural re¬ 
quirements for the garden 
pool that apply universally. 
Such basins should be situ¬ 
ated along one of the main 
garden axes and are most ef¬ 
fective if the view to be 
had of them comes 
from above. Seats and 
trees not close enough 
to obstruct the sunlight 
make this type of gar¬ 
den attractive. The 
trees serve as a wind¬ 
break and thus assist 
the growth of water 
lilies. 
A natural pool is 
somewhat different 
both in its construction 
and in its situation. The 
very small suburban or 
country place cannot be 
treated in a natural- 
e„s que or landscape 
fashion. The near 
presence of house and 
