REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GARDENS. 265 



annual exhibitions we have seen his splendid productions. In our 

 vicinity they are successful!}' grown b}- Charles M. Atkinson, 

 at John L. Gardner's, Brookline ; by James Comley, at Mrs. 

 Francis B. Hayes's, Lexington, and bj' Frederick L. Harris at H. 

 H. Hunnewell's, Wellesley. We all know that when Mr. Harris 

 speaks it is from practical experience, and we are glad to give 3'ou 

 the benefit of that experience from his own pen. 



Letter from Frederick L. Harris. 



Wellesley, November 29th, 1889. 

 Mr. John G. Barker, 



Dear Sir : — I send you as promised the way in which I manage 

 my Lily Tank. The tank is forty-eight feet long, twelve feet in width, 

 and three feet deep. I fill in with a compost of half-rotted sods to 

 the depth of ten inches, then a sufficient quantity of cow manure to 

 make the depth of soil twelve inches, and add half a barrel of half- 

 inch bone, thoroughly mixing all together. I then put on the water, 

 to the depth of a foot, which is heated to 75° or 80° by four four- 

 inch pipes, two flows and two returns, connected with a boiler 

 in one of our houses. The plants are started in the greenhouse 

 during the month of April so as to have six or eight leaves on 

 each, and about the 15th of May I place them in the tank, taking 

 care to have the water of sufficient depth to cover all the leaves, in 

 order to prevent their being chilled by the cold nights which often 

 occur even up to the first of June. I do not think it wise to put 

 in more than sixteen plants, as before the end of the season they 

 would become too crowded. With me the past season was a very 

 successful one, having given a continuous show of fine flowers 

 from the 15th of June until the 7th of October. 



Under favorable circumstances in a naturally well protected 

 location they will flower without the use of artificial means, but 

 our seasons at the best are of short duration, and this compara- 

 tively trifling extra expense adds very much to the time we may 

 have them to enjoy. The sorts cultivated are : 



Nymphoea alba candidistima, N. Devoniensis, night blooming, 

 N. ccjerulea, N. Zanzibar ensis.^ blue, 



N. dentata, iV. '' pink, 



N. Devoniensis, 



Many of the flowers when in bloom measured ten inches in 

 diameter and they were a constant source of attraction to the 

 many visitors here. 



