NELUMBO 



NEMASTYLIS 



1065 



and Eastern states. Where well established it is a mag- 

 nificent plant, and when in blossom it is a sight worth 

 traveling miles to see. 



Nelumbiums, with Nympheeas and other aquatic 

 plants, were among the few flowers known or cultivated 

 by the ancients. No mention is made in history of a 

 yellow Lotus prior to the discovery of America by white 

 men, but over four centuries ago it was well known to 

 and cultivated by the Indians in the waters of the Ten- 

 nessee and Cumberland rivers, and was abundant on 

 the tributaries of the Mississippi. It was carried north- 

 ward and eastward by the Indians, and was established 

 as far east as Connecticut. At the present time (1900) 

 it is established and cultivated in most of the states of 

 the Union. 



The late Isaac Buchanan received tubers of JV. nucifera 

 from Japan, which were planted in a stream on Long 

 Island, but there they perished. Later other efforts 

 were made, and some tubers from the same source were 

 received and planted by Samuel Henshaw in an artifi- 

 cial pond in the gardens of the late Mr. Green, at New 

 Brighton, Staten Island, N. Y., where they grew most 

 satisfactorily, some of the original stock being still in 

 evidence on the estate. 



About the same time E. D. Sturtevant, of Borden- 

 town, N. J,. who had introduced a number of tender 



1465. The Indian Lotus, Nelumbium speciosum of the 

 trade, but properly Nelumbo nucifera. 



water lilies into commerce, and knowing of its being 

 grown in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, made an exami- 

 nation of the condition under which it existed there and 

 determined to experiment in the culture at Bordentown, 

 N. J. Roots were obtained from Kew Gardens and after- 

 ward planted in shallow water in a sheltered spot in a 

 mill-pond near Bordentown. Here the plant grew 

 amazingly, and its success and hardiness were fully es- 



tablished. From here was disseminated the now famous 

 Egyptian Lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, to all parts of 

 the. United States. Several varieties have since then 

 been introduced from Japan, including white and deli- 

 cately tinted varieties, also deep rose, and double forms 

 of both white and rose. 



The cultivation of the Nelumbium is of the simplest. 

 The roots or tubers should not be transplanted until 

 there is evidence of growth, as the tubers, being usu- 

 ally buried deep in the soil below the water and out of 

 the reach of frost, are not affected by the warm rays of 

 sunshine as early as Nymphaeas and other terrestrial 

 plants. If Nelumbiums are dug before they start into 

 growth, the tubers should be kept in a warm place or 

 planted where the temperature is such that growth will 

 begin at once. In the Middle Atlantic states and east- 

 ward and westward, May is the best time to transplant; 

 southward earlier. Tubers may be planted in shallow 

 water near the margin of the pond where it is intended 

 they shall grow. The tuber should be placed horizon- 

 tally in the soil, first making a little trench or opening 

 to receive the same and covering with about three 

 inches of soil. Means must be employed to keep the 

 tuber securely in position and, if necessary, a stone or 

 brick laid over the tuber. In artificial ponds a walled 

 section should be built to hold the soil and keep the 

 roots within bounds. The walls should have no corners 

 at right angles; where there are such they should be 

 rounded off, so that the runners are not intercepted and 

 crowded in bunches at the corners. The natural soil 

 and deposit in ponds are, in most cases, all that is re- 

 quired for these plants. They will flourish equally well 

 in a stiff or tenacious soil, but when grown in artificial 

 ponds it is best to use a mixture of two parts turfy loam 

 and one part thoroughly rotted cow manure. Do 'not 

 use fresh or green manure, and when possible have 

 sods cut in the fall and stacked with the manure (in 

 this case it may be fresh). In early spring have the 

 same turned over two or three times before using. 

 Resort may be had to cultivation in tubs, but the Lotus 

 being such a gross feeder the result in most cases is 

 that the plants are starved into rest at an early date. 

 The leaves turn a sickly yellow and present a sorry ap- 

 pearance, and in many cases produce no flowers. If no 

 other method can be adopted, then secure the largest 

 tubs possible and during the growing season use liquid 

 or artificial manure liberally. 



It must be understood that while the Nelumbiums are 

 hardy, they are only so as long as the tubers are out of 

 the reach of frost. The depth to which frost penetrates 

 the soil or water may be termed a dead line. 



The tubers are farinaceous and edible, and are of 

 considerable market value in Japan, but a taste must 

 first be cultivated for them in the United States. The 

 muskrat, however, has developed a highly cultivated 

 taste for these sacred morsels, and it is necessary to 

 watch these animals lest they take up their abode near 

 ponds where the Nelumbiums grow. There are now in 

 cultivation in th^United States a dozen or more varie- 

 ties, including single and double forms, pure white to 

 deep rose, and yellow. 



As to insect pests, black-fly or black aphis is some- 

 times troublesome. The best remedy is the lady-bird 

 beetle and its larvffi. The leaf -cutter, or roller, is preva- 

 lent in some sections, and both young and old leaves 

 are attacked, also the stems of the leaves and flowers. 

 These have their natural enemies in the form of wasps 

 and even sparrows, and as no liquid insecticide can be 

 used, only such as are in the shape of a dry powder can 

 be depended on. Paris green, mixed with land plaster 

 or plaster and powdered slake lime, is excellent, but dry 

 hellebore in powder-form, applied by a powder bellows 

 is the best material to exterminate them. 



WM. THICKER. 



NEMASTYLIS (Greek, thread-like styles; because the 

 styles are not united). Syn., Nemastylus. friddcece. 

 A few species of tender American bulbs, with blue 6-lobed 

 fls. aboiit an inch across which last only a day. Strictly 

 Nemastylis is a genus of 3 species, found only in the 

 southern U. S. and characterized by having the filaments 

 nearly free. Baker, however, in his Handbook of the 

 Irideee, includes Chlamydostylis as a subgenus of 14 spe- 



