In Country Life in America Mr. B. G. Foster gives the following account of a small tank of concrete construction:
With the assistance of a workman who had some knowledge of mixing concrete, I constructed a tank, the area of which at the top is about four by eight feet. The tank is three feet deep, and the walls, six inches thick, incline inward at a slight angle. The bottom is four inches thick, and is, like the walls, constructed of broken stone, sand and Portland cement, the whole having a lining of cement and sand.
It being the first of October before the tank was finished, it was allowed to stand over winter, a cover being placed over it to prevent the accumulation of water. In early spring, the bottom was partitioned by boards into four compartments, one foot in depth, which were filled with a rich mixture of well-rotted manure and good soil. In each compartment a lily root was set, and afterward the earth was covered with a thin layer of sand. The tank was then carefully filled with water from the well. But one filling walt necessary and the water has never been changed except by rain and evaporation. A few goldfish were introduced to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes and other obnoxious insects.
While awaiting developments I cleared away the accumulated dirt, sodded the margins around the garden, and let the ladies of the household plant gladioli, nasturtiums and the like in the neighbourhood, while a cluster of hollyhocks at one end served further to break the monotony. The first lily opened fifty-eight days after setting out the plants, and from that time the plants were in almost continual bloom until late in the autumn, as many as twelve blossoms being open at one time.
The mould used in forming the tank was made of waste lumber and consisted of four parts: a lower bottom-forming frame, a core or inside box, an outside casing or box, and a coping-forming frame. The hole having been dug slightly larger than the finished basin was to be, the bottom frame (A) was first placed therein. This frame, formed of old 2 x 4 scantlings arranged on edge, had inside dimensions equal to the outside dimensions of the bottom of the tank, and after having been placed in position, it was filled level with concrete, thoroughly tamped or packed, forming the tank bottom.
The side-walls were then moulded by means of the outer tapered box (B) and an inner correspondingly shaped box (C), the two boxes being constructed of rough boards joined’ respectively on their outer and inner sides by upright cleats (D).
These boxes had their walls spaced apart a distance equal to the thickness of the walls to be formed, and were placed in position as soon as the bottom frame had been filled. They were fastened together at the top and properly braced by strips (E) to prevent their springing under pressure, after which the space between them was filled with concrete, thoroughly packed. As soon as the material had sufficiently set, the inner box or core (C), and the top board of the outer box or casing, were removed, leaving the side-walls.
The space outside the walls was then filled in A lining of sand and cement was applied to the inner faces of the bottom and sidewalls, and the coping of the same material was formed upon the latter, the frame (E) constituting a guide in making the same.
In explanation it may be stated that the digging of the hole required a full day, as the ground was hard-packed yellow clay, and a ledge of rock was encountered in one end. Moreover, the proportion of sand and cement employed was two to one, whereas a greater proportion of sand might have been employed with success. These increased the cost somewhat.
The stone was picked up about the place, the sand was obtained in the immediate neighbourhood and, as already stated, waste and discarded lumber was employed, so that these materials, outside of the cost of breaking the stone, added nothing to the expense.
There is but one change or addition I would suggest to anyone who may construct a water garden along the above lines. This one has a draw-off pipe at the bottom and an overflow pipe at the top. It would be preferable, though not necessary, to have a third outlet from four to six inches below the overflow, to be closed in summer by a suitable plug and to be left open in winter, thus maintaining a lower level of the water during the cold season of the year.
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