The Garden Pool 
Choose a sunny location. 
Reinforce the walls, which should be sloping. 
Use a fine grade of gravel in the concrete and 
cure well before filling. 
Curing may be completed by washing the sides 
with weak vinegar solution of one cup vinegar 
to five gallons of water. Rinse, drain, refill and 
allow to stand several days before introducing 
fish. The vinegar counteracts the alkali which 
would be harmful to the fish. 
Avoid chlorinated water or, if no other is avail- 
able, let stand before using. 
Goldfish should be handled carefully with a net 
to prevent damage. Rapid changes in water 
temperature are detrimental to them. In a 
well-planted pool, where fish greens as well as 
lilies are planted, no feeding is necessary. In a 
crowded pool or where spawning has just 
occurred, practice daily feeding in summer and 
once a week in winter. Commercial fish foods 
in granular form or cracker crumbs are satis- 
factory. 
Water lilies are gross feeders and require about 
a cubic foot of rich soil per plant. Manure is a 
good fertilizer but should be kept from contact 
with the tuber. Bone meal is also excellent. 
The tuber is planted horizontally with the grow- 
ing eye at the surface of the soil, which is then 
covered with about an inch of sand or pea 
gravel to keep the soil from muddying the pool. 
The final surface should be at least an inch 
below the top of the box or other container and 
there should be 6 inches to 2 feet of water 
above the lily crown. 
Green water describes the condition caused by 
algae which are also manifest in other obnox- 
ious forms. Conditions which check algae are: 
(1) slightly acid water (avoid too much acidity); 
(2) thriving plant life; (3) no overcrowding of 
fish; and (4) sufficient scavengers, either snails, 
fresh water clams or weatherfish. Temporary 
control of algae results from the addition of a 
few crystals of Potassium permanganate dis- 
solved in a small amount of water and stirred 
into the pool with a wooden paddle. 
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a. Trapdoor Snails 
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