Various new or used receptacles can be adapted prettily to the construction of sunken miniature ponds. A few prerequisites apply to all of them, however, regardless of their shape or material.

Wooden tubs and half-barrels sunk into the ground fit beautifully into small spaces and provide a pleasant focal point in any yard. But remember that new wood is injurious to fish and water lilies and a certain amount of aging is necessary. Any receptacle that has been out in the weather through the winter will do nicely as is. A new receptacle can be aged quickly by filling it with water and slaking a chunk of lime in it for three or four days. It can then be rinsed out and put into service.

This same quick-aging technique should also be applied to any tub or barrel which has previously held whisky, vinegar, molasses, or other liquid.

Wooden receptacles which have ever been filled with gasoline, oil, tar, roofing compound, wood preservative, or other oily substance are out of the question. No amount of treatment will completely cleanse the wood, and neither flower nor fish will do well in containers so tainted.

If you are buying a new tub in which to plant your miniature garden, buy one of white cedar. The only aging this mild wood needs is a night's soaking in cold water.

Steel tanks, iron kettles, and old bathtubs can be used quite effectively as sunken miniature ponds. Be sure to coat the inside with a good rubber-base paint, which can be purchased from any fish or water lily dealer. As far as the bathtub is concerned, painting is merely in the interests of beauty. For the tanks and kettles, it is an absolutely necessary protective measure, as their unpainted surfaces will rust and discolor the water.

Do not use oil or lead-base paint. It will not hold up for long and it will poison fish.

Sheet-lead tanks, set into brick or stone masonry, do very well for miniature ponds. These, also, must be coated on the inside with rubber-base paint.

Containers made of copper cannot be used, for copper poisons fish.

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