250 LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



SOIL. The soil best suited to the growth of most of the 

 aquatics, especially the water-lilies, is one made of equal 

 parts of good garden soil and well-decomposed stable 

 manure. If the plants are grown from seed, they need to 

 be transplanted two or three times until large enough to 

 put into the open air, when they should be planted in a 

 box or tub or be sunken in the mud, pressing the soil firmly 

 about the roots, and then covering the surface of the soil 

 with coarse sand or gravel. It matters little what the 

 depth of water over the plants is after well established; it 

 may be 3 inches or 3 or more feet; but for the water-lilies, 

 it should never get so low as to have the leaves rest on the 

 soil for any considerable length of time. After good 

 growth has begun, if the soil is in the proper condition, 

 but little care need be given except to see that the water 

 does not all evaporate, or that muskrats do not get at and 

 destroy the roots, of which they are very fond. Every 

 means possible, by poisoning, trapping, shooting, etc., 

 should be taken to get rid of the above pests, as a single 

 pair of these animals will destroy a large number of 

 plants in a short time. Among the plants that grow 

 directly in the water are the following: 



Lotus, Egyptian. Water-lilies, Royal Purple. 

 " White Japanese. " Superb. 



" Striped Japanese. " Devonian. 



" Native. " East Indian. 



Water-lilies, Hardy. " White African. 



" " Rose-flowered. " Royal or Victoria. 



" " Large-flowered. Water-hyacinth. 



" " Yellow-flowered. Water-poppy. 



" " European. Salvinia. 



" '* Day -blooming. Papyrus, Egyptian. 



*' " Purple African. ^lag, Variegated. 



