GARDENING. 



Sept. 15, 



LEAF SPOT OF THE WATER LILY 



A depth of water of two feet is desira- 

 ble, with the ability to raise the water 

 another foot in winter in cold latitudes 

 for protection from frost. 



In a loamy soil not containing a large 

 proportion of sand, no puddling is neces- 

 sary to hold water. On sandy or grav- 

 elly subsoils, a covering on the bottom 

 and sides of the pond of tough clay well 

 puddled in, will have to be laid; this cov- 

 ering may be 3 to 4 inches thick, and if 

 costly or hard to get might be reduced to 

 2 inches. A covering of sand or fine 

 gravel should be spread over the clay, to 

 avoid the stirring up of mud by the at- 

 tendant. 



The writer prefers to plant the lilies 

 in boxes rather than in the bottom 

 of the pond. The boxes may vary in 

 size from 4 to 10 or 12 feet square 

 and 12 inches high, without bottoms ex- 

 cepting a board or two or sufficient to 

 hold them down by the weight of the soil, 

 and open bottoms permit of root exten- 

 sion beyond the area of the boxes. Boxes 

 too allow easy access for change of soil, 

 or division of plants, both operations are 

 necessary in successful culture. 



Nymphasas are gross feeders, and seem- 

 ingly cannot be surfeited with high living. 

 A compost of half loam, and half well 

 rotted manure, with the addition of a lit- 

 tle bone phosphate makes them very 

 happy. Overflow and outlet pipes are 

 essential, the one to empty the pond, the 

 other to carry off scum, dust and growths 

 of floating alga? For this it is best to 

 lay a pipe, common 6-ineh drain tile will 

 do if the puddling is tigh% otherwise use 

 sewer pipe with cemented joints. This 

 pipe should be laid on the border of the 

 pond, and to it finch connections made 

 at each recess or bay in the border of the 

 pond at the summerkvel. Thiswillserve 

 to carry off objectionable floating matter 

 very satisfactorily. Provide plugs for 

 each overflow pipe, so that by plugging up 

 certain pipes a greater overflow can be 



induced at others where necessary. To 

 avoid leakage at these overflow pipes in 

 winter, use an iron end on each for the 

 better driving home of the plugs. A gen- 

 erous provision for such overflow pipes 

 will never be regretted by the culturist 

 who desires a clean water surface. 



When the water supply is very cold 

 only water sufficient to run cff the scum 

 should be admitted. With one or two 

 exceptions better growth can be had from 

 even hardy species and varieties in a tem- 

 perature of 75° or 80° than from that of 

 spring water. 



We once drew water from the surface of 

 a shallow lake for a lily pond supply, and 

 obtained thereby a temperature of from 

 78° to 84° with remarkable results, the 

 regular supply being 60°. Aquatic plants 

 will not flourish in artesian water, con- 

 taining salt, lime and iron. 



Few insects trouble aquatic plants and 

 three of these as late as '94, if my memory 

 serves me right, were unidentified by the 

 Entomological Dept., Washington. One 

 is a fine threadlike larva? about Vs to Vi 

 inch long; it dessicates young nympha?a 

 leaves very quickly. Frequent dipping of 

 the leaves in tobacco or whale od soap 

 decoction is the best remedy we have 

 formed. Another larva? is a leaf miner, 

 it burrows in the parenchyma of the leaf. 

 We cannot reach this fellow, but as he is 

 not abundant his work is not very no- 

 ticeable. The egg of another is deposited 

 on the top of the leaf stalk of the nelum- 

 bium. Arsenical spray will not lie on the 

 spot, so picking off the eggs or burrowing 

 down the leaf stalk after him seems to be 

 the remedy until we can find a better one. 

 Green fly can be kept down by the hose 

 spray, with the help of sunfish and gold- 

 fish, which are essential to any well- 

 appointed lily pond. 



We met this season a hitherto to us un- 

 known trouble, a blackening and rotting 

 of nymphrea leaves in a wholesale man- 

 ner until we found it vieldcd readily to 



the Bordeaux mixture. [Probably this 

 is the same disease as is shown on the 

 nympha?a leaf, this page. The spot is 

 caused by a fungus of the genus Cercos- 

 pora. We had a good deal of trouble 

 with this disease in some of our lily tubs 

 at Dosoris last year, and although we 

 used fungicides for it we could not stop 

 it. Plucking off the worst leaves, wash- 

 ing the others with fungicides and chang- 

 ing the water often and completely, and 

 removing part of the surface soil, did not 

 stop the trouble. Still out of over forty 

 tubs it confined itself to three or four. 

 —Ed.] 



While on this subject the crayfish might 

 be noted; it is to be dreaded when numer- 

 ous, not only does it tap the banks or 

 clay puddling, but for some reason eats 

 off young growth. The writer once had 

 a weary experience caused by a swarm of 

 them until it was discovered that chopped 

 meat mixed with Paris green laid at 

 night on the edge of the pond effectually 

 cleared them out. 



To bring out to perfection the glories of 

 the Victoria Regia and the tropical nym- 

 pha?as a temperature of from 85° to 90° 

 is necessary. This generally must be ob- 

 tained by artificial heating, this is the 

 most satisfactorily attained by the hot 

 water system, carrying the pipes around 

 the inside of the tank or pond near the 

 bottom. By sinking the boiler room and 

 burning anthracite coal this may be done 

 without obtruding a nuisance into view, 

 the chimney being low and faced with 

 rough rock work and hidden behind a 

 clump of shrubbery. 



A tank or basin with cement concrete 

 walls and bottom may be more desirable 

 for formal or artificial surroundings, as for 

 instance a garden or floral parterre, and 

 for growing tropical aquatic plants. 

 The construction of such a basin is a 

 simple matter and within the capacity of 

 ordinary handy laborers. First dig a 

 trench for a wall of the necessary depth 

 to protect the bottom from frost and of 

 the desired width. Make a concrete com- 

 posed as follows: One part Portland 

 cement to four parts clean sharp sand and 

 eight parts clean crushed stone. Thor- 

 oughly mix the sand and cement dry, 

 then wet the stone and add it to the pile, 

 turning over again until thoroughly 

 mixed, adding water enough to make the 

 concrete the consistency of moist sugar. 

 Place in the trench and ram in four or five 

 inch layers quite firmly until the surface of 

 the ground is reached. Make joints seven 

 or eight feet apart all around the wall by 

 cross-partioning, filling the alternate 

 spaces, and when those are set removing 

 the partitions and filling the remainder, 

 first laying a strip of tar paper in each 

 joint. Next excavate the interior of the 

 basin and lay the bottom with four 

 inches in thickness of the same concrete, 

 making the slabs alternately and facing 

 each with a compost of one part cement 

 and two sharp clean sand of the con- 

 sistency of mortar, and trowelled on 

 smoothly. Make all joints continuous, 

 not alternating. The top of the basin 

 may be finished above the ground line 

 with a coping moulded in frames of wood, 

 laying the pieces alternately and keeping 

 the joints vertically in line with those 

 below. Finish top with trowel coat. In 

 lieu of a cement coping one may be made 

 of rock work. 



A basin so constructed will not leak 

 nor will it crack in unexpected places, and 

 if the bottom is laid on porous material 

 and drained the basin may be emptied of 

 water in winter and will be safe from 

 damage by frost. J. A. Pktticrew. 



Supt. of Parks, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



