330 PKOPAGATION OF PLANTS. 



mon Water Lily (Nymphcea odorata), float on the surface ; others, such as 

 Ndumbium luteum and speciosum, rise several feet above the surface, the 

 seed vessels ripening in this position. In others the seeds or fruit ma- 

 ture under water. They thrive best in rather shallow ponds or streams 

 with muddy bottoms, but deep enough to prevent the roots freezing. 

 Propagated by seed and division of the roots, or by tubers formed on 

 the subterranean stems and root stocks. The seeds may be sprouted 

 in water in a greenhouse, and then transferred to the pond, a small 

 stone or pebble being attached to each to sink and hold it in position at 

 the bottom. I have always found in planting the tubers and cuttings 

 that it was better to sink each with a stone than to trust to their own 

 weight to cany them down. 



Onagrariece, or Onagracece (Evening Primrose Family). A 

 large order, mostly inodorous, of annual and perennial herbs ; rarely 

 shrubs or trees. The most familiar genera in cultivation are : Clarkia 

 (annual), Fuchsias (shrubs), Jussicea, Gaum, (Enothera and Zauschnera. 

 Tbe shrubby species are propagated by seeds and cuttings, and the her- 

 baceous perennials by seeds and careful divisions ; or by cuttings of the 

 young shoots, taken oft early in spring and planted in a close frame 

 where they will receive but a moderate heat. The (Enotheras are very 

 showy plants, thriving best in light dry soils. 



Orchidaceve (Orchis Family). An immense order of monocotyle- 

 donous perennial herbs. Some are terrestrial, with tuberous or fascicled 

 roots ; others arc epiphytes, with or without pseudo-bulbs, living on the 

 stems of palms, and various kinds of trees and shrubs in tropical coun- 

 tries. The flowers are of peculiar and varied structure ; some of them 

 appear more like birds and butterflies than flowers. Of the terrestrial 

 genera there are a large number indigenous to the United States, but 

 they are rarely cultivated, with the exception of the different species of 

 Cypripcdium, or Lady's Slipper. These thrive best in moist soil, and 

 the plants may be obtained from their native habitats, transplanting 

 when the flowers begin to fade, or late in summer. The tender exotic 

 species are cultivated in greenhouses, in pots filled with light fibrous or 

 peaty soil, water being plentifully supplied when the plants are grow- 

 ing most rapidly, and the temperature varied according to the require- 

 ments of the different species. There are three hundred and thirty- 

 four genera in the Orchis Family, and about five thousand species. The 

 genera are divided into five tribes Upidendrece, Vandece, JVcotticcc, Oph- 

 rydcce and Cypripcdicce. The genera of the first three tribes are mostly 

 epiphytal, and in cultivation are grown in wire baskets filled with 

 sphagnum, bits of cork, light wood, bark, and similar materials ; or they 

 are attached to Eh3ets of cork, sections of the stems of old palms, 

 lumps of charcoal ; in fact, almost any porous substance which will 

 not decay rapidly will answer. Ordinary flower pots will answer for 

 many of the species if filled with soft brick and pieces of cork or 

 porous wood. A pot designed expressly for Orchids has recently been 



