The pool before the plants about it had attained a full growth looked a bit barren, but by the end 
of summer its crudities were covered 
Making a Pool for Fishes and Birds 
ONE WOMAN’S EXPERIENCE IN CREATING OUTDOOR LIFE IN THE HEART OF A 
CITY—A SMALL GARDEN OF NATURALISTIC EFFECTS—THE CARE OF GOLD FISH 
Marie L. Marsh 
T HOUGH my back-yard is a garden enclosed with a high vine- 
covered fence and contains fine trees and pretty shrubs and 
a splendidly shaded arbor, there was one spot which, until three 
years ago, I could not make attractive. This was a sandy strip, 
about 17 x 40 feet, so shaded by the garage that nothing would 
grow there. 
The idea came to me one day that I could turn this barren 
spot into a fish pond! Being absolutely unhampered by any 
practical knowledge, I rushed in where angels might have feared 
to tread — and the results are surprisingly satisfactory. 
The pond was not reinforced, 
nor was it constructed upon 
scientific principles. My man 
had never used cement before, 
and we simply guessed at every¬ 
thing. The outcome goes to 
show that technical knowledge 
and skill are not absolutely 
necessary to do quite effective 
work. 
I began by working with a 
sharp stick upon the ground an 
oval 12 x 6 feet; this my man 
dug out, sloping gradually to a 
depth of two feet. Our soil is 
almost pure sand, fine on top 
and coarse and pebbly under¬ 
neath. This coarse sand the 
workmen call torpedo sand, but 
I do not know whether this is 
a correct term. 
By the time the hole had been 
made into a fairly symmetrical 
shape, we had ready a load of 
cinders and three bags of ce¬ 
ment, which quantity proved 
just sufficient for our work. 
The sand which had been turned up by digging was fortunately 
clean and coarse, so we utilized that in making our concrete 
mixture. 
The hole was first lined with cinders, which were tamped down 
solid. I think that this layer of cinders was about four inches 
deep. The cement and sand were then mixed with water to a 
thin paste, experiment showing the best consistency. We were 
told that the thinner and sloppier the mixture, the better the final 
result, and we worked on this basis. I have since learned that the 
proper proportion is one part of cement to four parts of coarse 
sand, but I am sure that we 
used less sand and more cement. 
This thin paste was spread 
as evenly as possible over the 
cinders. My man had only an 
old coal shovel and a broken 
trowel for his tools, but he 
managed it somehow. 
After this was done there 
was really nothing to do but to 
wait for the concrete to ripen. 
In five days it was quite hard, 
and in less than a week we 
filled the pond with water and 
put in the gold fish. 
Our soil being sandy, it ab¬ 
sorbs water like a sponge, so 
that all that was needed to 
drain the pond was a two-inch 
hole at the bottom, fitted with 
a wooden plug. 
Of course, under different 
conditions, a small drain pipe 
could be put in, connecting with 
the sewers. But it is quite pos¬ 
sible to make such a pond with¬ 
out any drain at all, as I can 
The construction was easy enough, and, as explained here, any amateur can make 
such a pool at very little outlay or labor 
338 
