232 THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



deeper. Mr. Lincoln's made a leaf only twenty-two inches, 

 and recovered in spring ; my deeply planted one made its 

 smallest leaf of seventeen inches and died. The difference 

 in climate between these gardens is not very great, that of 

 Salem being the most inclement. The weight of evidence 

 seems to be in favor of shallow planting, in order to carry it 

 easily through our winters, but the deeply situated are the 

 most beautiful and yield the largest flowers. If the practice 

 of renewing the plants in early spring is adopted, the deeper 

 planting will prove the best. I am informed that in Europe 

 they have adopted this plan, the young plants having been 

 proved to be more beautiful. It will be proper to state here, 

 that I have carried through the winter two young plants, 

 kept in boxes, the one in shallow and the other in deep water, 

 and with no apparent difl'erence in the health of either. From 

 want of due attention to these, it is not in my power to say 

 with certainty whether they are from English or American 

 seeds. Judging from the color of the unfolding leaf, I think 

 they are from the former. An English seed sown a year ago, 

 in the warmest and shallowest part of the tank, has just vege- 

 tated and is growing well. 



Having given this familiar statement of the growth of 

 these plants, and the differing circumstances of depth of water, 

 other things being similar, the reader can form his own opin- 

 ions of the correctness of the views expressed. It seems ap- 

 parent to me that the seed from England will produce a plant 

 better able to survive our winters. He will also bear in 

 mind the fact that Mr. Cope's plant, recently removed in 

 health, after living through four winters, was raised from seed 

 matured there. 



The soil around the American seedling had been raised, 

 bringing it sufficiently near the surface to receive the light 

 and heat from the sun ; the peculiar mode of its growth al- 

 lowing of this being done with benefit. This process may 

 not be familiar to all your readers, and I will state it in a few 

 words. The Victoria forms its leaves in a cycle of five, 

 repeating this constantly. At mid-summer a leaf will appear, 

 grow rapidly for a few days, attain a diameter of five or six 



