Albert and George, who worked on this job, did the mortaring the first
way. The pond was left unfilled for a week to dry thoroughly. Then after
placing two inches of sand in the bottom it was filled with water.
Philip bought two pond lily roots. He tied stones with string on the
roots of the plants to keep them down: otherwise they would have bobbed
up and floated on the surface of the water. Some one gave him two water
hyacinths.

In the middle of the yard a round bed was made. To do this take a cord
and tie a stake at either end. The cord should be whatever length you
have decided shall be the radius of the circle. The radius of a circle,
you remember, is the distance from the centre to the circumference.

Now drive one of the stakes into the ground at the exact centre. Grasp
in your hand the other stake and swing a circle with it. The stake will
scratch a well-defined line so that you have the outline of the circle,
the boundary of the bed.

Jay spaded down to about six inches all along the outlines of bed. After
that the bed itself was spaded. Philip insisted on outlining it with
brick which had been given him. Some children use whitewashed stones,
some use shells. Either plan gives a spotty effect. The idea fails of
being artistic. A neat cutting of the turf and a slight heaping up of a
round bed toward the centre gives after all a far more pleasing effect.
Try to keep as near to Nature's own plan as you can. Shells belong on
the seashore or in a collection; keep stones for road making, wall
building, cement work and curbs; bricks are for foundations and
buildings. Rarely use things for what they were not intended. It is
better usually to border a bed with low-growing flowers. Ageratum,
candytuft and dwarf nasturtiums are good for the purpose.