CONSTRUCTING THE POND
Well begun, so they say, is half done. This
old axiom certainly applies to pond construction. The design should be committed
to paper and adhered to ; many a pond
builder starts with a spade from the beginning
and makes up the design as he goes along ;
the result is rarely satisfactory.
Before the actual work starts it should be
decided where the excavated soil is to be
dumped, whether a rockery in another part
of the garden is to be built with it or whether
a rockery is to surround the pond. In any
case the soil should be removed some distance
from the actual scene of activities; it is
surprising how a heap of soil hampers the
work and spoils the perspective.
The shape of the pond may be pegged out
or, if it is not too large, sheets of paper stuck
together and cut to the required shape may
be laid on the ground and the work gauged
from that. In any case pegs should be driven
into the ground at various points and a board
placed across ; then, with a spirit level, it
can be seen if the ground is level or not.
This does not matter much with the informal
pond, but it is essential with the formal type ;
the water itself will be level, but if the rim
of the pond is higher at one side than another
a curious sloping effect that will spoil everything will result.
We will assume that we are to construct a
circular pool twelve feet in diameter. A peg
is driven into the ground in the centre of where
the pond is to be and the looped end of a
cord placed over the peg ; at the other end
of the cord, six feet away, tie a knife or trowel.
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