The Victoria Regia at Springhrook. 547 



the whole horticultural world. I write without any recent 

 information respecting Mr. Feast's plant ; which, being young- 

 er, and in a more southern latitude, may possibly surpass 

 ours. I should be glad to learn that we are beaten, although 

 at the expense of Mr. Cope's generosity in the distribution of 

 the young plants ; because it would teach us, that great as 

 has been our success, there is yet a higher standard of per- 

 fection at which to aim. A few days ago, in the presence of 

 two neighbors of yours, Messrs. Stone, of Watertown, I 

 measured the largest leaf then on the plant, which was 5 

 feet 10 inches in diameter ; being but 8 inches less than the 

 largest ever grown by us, and but 2 less than the measure- 

 ment you give of Mr. Feast's, previous to the middle of Sep- 

 teinher. At the present time, we have eleven leaves on our 

 plant, giving collectively 220.90 superficial feet. The great- 

 est quantity of surface we have ever had, was, by measure- 

 ment on the 24th of August, 263.07 feet. This, in an 

 octagon tank only 24 feet in diameter, cannot well be beat. 

 I think you will see, that with such a growth as this, we 

 have little spare room for the Nymphaeas you suggest. The 

 fact is, that, monstrous as a tank 24 feet in diameter and 4| 

 feet deep, was considered to be at the commencement, by our 

 system of management it is far too small. Were Mr. Cope 

 to begin but now, with all the experience we have gained, 

 he would not think of a tank less than 30 feet wide by 10 

 deep. 



Our plant has produced, to the middle of October, 94 

 flowers. I expect to see it double these figures before I 

 dream of its "decade." Something more than two flowers 

 every five days, on the average, for fourteen months, is not 

 so very bad for a single plant. " But'it is not producing that 

 average just now;" not owing to any "decade," but princi- 

 pally to its not being allowed to grow so fast. Our tempera- 

 ture, for reasons which every gardener will understand, has 

 been kept for the last few months as low as possible, con- 

 sistent with the health of the plant ; never below 75° or 

 above 80°. I have before stated, in the Horticulturist, that 

 it will only bloom well in a temperature of from 80° to 90°. 



