214 CALIFORNIA GARDEN FLOWERS 



prohibition sentiment prevailing. And so it came about that he was 

 soon flowering the queen of the tropics, the Victoria Regia, in his 

 water-yard in the foothills of the Cahuenga Valley. Of course that 

 does not mean that one can do that everywhere in California, but 

 beyond that Mr. Sturtevant's experience and that of others who have 

 taken cue from him, does show that good water lilies and other 

 aquatics can be had without glass or coal in this state if one will pro- 

 vide the few things required, as Mr. Sturtevant will outline for us in 

 the paragraphs which follow: 



Soil. The majority of -aquatics are gross feeders, and it is well 

 nigh impossible to make the soil too rich for them. It is not necessary 

 to go to a swamp or a natural pond to obtain what is suitable. It can 

 be prepared upon your own premises. Any soil which will grow good 

 vegetables will, if properly enriched, grow aquatics. A compost con- 

 sisting of two-thirds good soil and one-third well-decayed manure, 

 with a liberal sprinkling of bonemeal, is what we recommend. If you 

 have a black, friable loam, which is intermediate between adobe and 

 sandy loam, it would be excellent for the purpose. 



Ponds. The simplest arrangement for growing water plants is a 

 large tub or half hogshead, partly filled with soil and located in a 

 sunny position. A much better plan is to make a small pool by ex- 

 cavating the ground about two feet and covering the bottom and sides 

 with concrete and cement. In a basin eight or ten feet across quite a 

 variety of plants may be grown, using wooden boxes or shallow tubs 

 to hold the soil. Those having fountain basins in their grounds can 

 utilize them in the same manner. It is not necessary that there should 

 be a continuous flow of water; but during the growing season enough 

 should be run in each day to prevent stagnation and to keep the plants 

 in health. While most aquatics will flower freely in contracted quar- 

 ters, they will attain greater perfection with much larger flowers if 

 they have abundance of room both for the roots and the leaves. 

 Basins twenty or thirty feet in diameter or even larger than this are 

 desirable for growing a good collection. In growing the lotus in the 

 same basin with nymphseas, care must be taken to confine the roots 

 of the former to a given space, as it has the habit of spreading in all 

 directions. 



Locations. It might seem at first thought that California, being 

 such a dry country, the conditions are not favorable to the culture of 

 water plants. But our city gardens are supplied with water in the 

 same manner as in the East. In the country the windmill is ever the 

 ready servant; and where irrigation is practiced, nothing could be 

 more simple than to turn the stream aside to irrigate a water garden. 

 Natural ponds and lakes are rare, but a few such exist, and I believe 



