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The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



May 27, 1909. 



eutc'i- the poud unless desired by the 

 owner. This can be done by an open 

 <liteh, dug so as to skirt the pond and at 

 .some distance from it. If no stream is 

 iivailable the water can be taken from a 

 well, or the city supply Avhere such ex 

 ists; or, if the pond is not too large, the 

 <lown-spouts that conduct the rain water 

 from the roofs of the buildings can be 

 run to the pond. This supply will be 

 found sufKcient to supply all loss from 

 evaporation in the average season, and 

 to keep the water in good condition. 



Fertility Essential. 



To grow all nymphseas and nelumbi- 

 unis successfully they must be .supplied 

 with good, rich soil in abundance. For 

 best results, prepare the soil as carefully 

 as you would for roses or any other 

 greenhouse plant.s. The sod from an old 

 pasture, with soil inclined to a heavy clay 

 texture, is the best for water lilies. This 

 siiould be taken to a depth of four inches, 

 and mixed with an equal amount of cow 

 manure, and the whole turned several 

 times to get them well incorporated; half 

 a pound of bone meal to every cubic foot 

 of soil will prove of benefit, to most soils. 



In planting roots in large natural 

 ]»onds. the roots should be pre.«sed down 

 into the soft mud, two to three inches 

 deep, and held in place by stones until 

 the plants get well rooted. If this is not 

 done the roots may be disturbed and rise 

 to the surface. The majority of the 



the best method of growing water lilies, 

 as then they are confined to the space al- 

 lowed to each one. The size of the boxes 

 should be 2x2 feet and one foot deep for 

 the smaller lilies, and 4x4x1 for the large 

 night-blooming class. For the Victoria 

 Regia a box 8x8x1 will be none too large. 



Care After Planting. 



After the lilies have been planted their 

 wants are few. All decaying leaves and 

 flowers should be removed as soon as 

 they begin to look unsightly. If green 

 scum should gather on the surface of 

 the water, it should be washed towards 

 the overflow pipe Avith the hose, where it 

 can easily be got rid of. Green scum 

 will form wherever new soil and manure 

 have been added to the pond, the still, 

 warm water having a tendency to pro- 

 mote the growth of these particular algae. 

 From twenty-three grains to five drams 

 troy of sulphate of copper for every 

 1,000 gallons of water will prove a sure 

 preventive of alg«p. The amount of 

 sulphate of copper that can be used will 

 depend upon the amount of lime in the 

 water. The best way to apply the copper 

 is to suspend the crystals in the water in 

 bags from mosquito netting, distributing 

 them about the pond. 



One thing we must not forget, and that 

 is to have plenty of goldfish in the pond 

 to keep down insect life in the larval 

 stage; otherwise the pond will become a 

 nuisance, and countless numbers of mos- 



Phytelephas Macrocarpa. 



hardy water lilies increase rapidly from 

 the roots; therefore, they should have 

 plenty of room between the plants; the 

 •stronger varieties should be planted from 

 eight to ten feet apart, the weaker grow- 

 ing varieties in proportion. The planting 

 of hardy water lilies can be done at any 

 time from the start of growth in the 

 spring up to the last week of August. 



The tender or tropical water lilies 

 should not be planted until settled warm 

 weather arrives; for the latitude of Bos- 

 ton, not before the middle of .Tune. 

 Planting in boxes or tubs is by all means 



quitoes be bred and reared to the adult 

 stage in the water. With plenty of fish 

 in the pond, not a single mosquito will 

 ever get beyond the wriggler stage. 



Wheeling, W. Va. — Fred Davidson 

 has made an offer to Chief Terrill to 

 furnish flowers and care for them for 

 two years on the condition that the city 

 erect a new city building. He will plant 

 the flowers on the lawn of the new build- 

 ing, do the sodding and take care of 

 them in every way for the two years. 



PHYTELEPAS MACROCARPA. 



Vegetable ivory has been known aa an 

 article of commerce from South America 

 for the last half century, being used in 

 a multitude of small articles, such aa 

 buttons, toys and various ornaments, in- 

 stead of the real ivory, probably on ac- 

 count of its smaller cost. 



This vegetable ivory is produced by the 

 plant we now illustrate, Phytelephas 

 macrocarpa, a plant that is commonly 

 spoken of as the ivory nut palm, and one 

 that is quite common in the northern 

 portion of South America, being espe- 

 cially plentiful in New Granada. 



Some botanists claim that phytelephaa 

 is not a palm, strictly speaking, from 

 the fact <(hat its flowers possess an in>- 

 definite number of stamens, instead of 

 the usual six stamens that appear in the 

 flowers of the majority of palms; but, 

 be this as it may, the plant in question 

 has the general appearance of a palm, 

 and is considered as such in most booka 

 of reference. 



The photograph shows a young plant, 

 and thus does not give a good idea of 

 what the mature specimen of this species 

 attains to, for the latter has magnificent 

 leaves that are fifteen to twenty feet 

 long, nearly erect and gracefully arch- 

 ing, these leaves proceeding from a short 

 trunk. 



The trunk or caudex of this palm sel- 

 dom reaches a greater length than twenty 

 feet, and most of this trunk is prostrate 

 on the ground, the upright portion of 

 the stem, from which the leaves grow, 

 being about five or six feet in height. 



This plant is unisexual, the male and 

 female flowers being on separate trees, 

 and it is said that the trunk of the male 

 plant is much taller and more erect than 

 that of the female. 



The seeds, the part used as ivory, are 

 produced in a compound drupe, or clustor 

 of drupes, the cluster containing six or 

 more seeds, and the whole covered with 

 a warty-looking, wood-like covering, and 

 weighing about twenty-five pounds. These 

 fruit clusters have been giv«n the name 

 of negroes' heads, and when seven or 

 eight such clusters are seen hanging 

 around the stem of the tree the efifen- 

 must be singular. 



In its young state this palm has been 

 grown more or less in greenhouses since 

 1846, and in that condition has leavee 

 somewhat like those of a kentia, the 

 stems being without spines and the foli- 

 age dark green. 



Under cultivation phytelephas has ustr- 

 ally been grown as a warm house palm^ 

 though sometimes used for outdoor decch 

 ration in summer, in Europe, but from 

 the fact that it is not confined to low 

 levels in the tropics, but also appears up 

 to 3,000 feet above sea level, it would 

 seem that high temperature at night 

 would not be required for strong sped- 

 mens. But its natural habitat is in moist 

 ground, and from this we gather that an 

 abimdant supply of water is demanded 

 for the welfare of this plant. While not 

 speoially considered as a trade palm» 

 phytelephas is offered in small plants by 

 a few growers in this country, and ll 

 doubtless to be found in various private 

 eollections. W. H. TapliM, 



Orlando, Fla. — The Luther green- 

 houses will be established on North 

 Orange avenue as soon as the proper 

 houses and conservatories can be built. 

 Mr. Luther has purchased a large corner 

 lot for the purpose. 



