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Aquatic ILitt 



middle of May these young plants may 

 be planted in the outside ponds, leaving 

 a space six feet to eight feet in diameter 

 for development. The flowers of this 

 group open at sunset and close about 9 

 A. M. the next morning. The tropical 

 day-blooming lilies produce smaller 

 flowers, and usually open when the sun 

 appears, the opposite of the previous 

 group. We also find among these the 

 additional colors of blue and yellow, be- 

 sides the white, pink and dark pink. 

 These types readily intercross through 

 insect agency, so much so that all colors 

 will appear from the same seed pod. 



The winter treatment of this group is 

 different from that given the night bloom- 

 ers. It is not possible to dry the old 

 plants, which have been lifted from the 

 outside ponds, in the same manner as the 

 night bloomers are handled. To keep 

 them over winter it is necessary to keep 

 them in tanks of water at low tempera- 

 ture. A more practical method is to raise 

 fresh plants from seed every year. The 

 seeds are rather small, and soon lose their 

 vitality ; therefore it is advisable to sow 

 out as soon after collection as possible. 

 The seeds should be sown on the surface 

 of finely sifted soil and covered with a 

 thin layer of fine sand. Half barrels are 

 very convenient for this purpose, filling 

 about half full of soil and the remainder 

 with water. The seedling may be trans- 

 planted directly to the open ponds in 

 spring, or may be potted up early and 

 grown in separate tanks. The seedling 

 should have at least four floating leaves 

 at the time of transplanting to the out- 

 side ponds during May ; by July it will 

 be sufficiently developed to flower. 



The hardy lilies are the most familiar, 

 being native of North America and Eu- 

 rope. The best hybrids have originated 

 chiefly through the influence of the Amer- 

 ican species Nymphaea odorata (white), 

 tuberosa (white, also pink), and flava 



(yellow). 



This yellow variety attracted the 

 French hybridist Latour Marliac in 



1886. He crossed the two species tube- 

 rosa and flava and obtained the hybrid 

 Marliacea cromatella. This yellow va- 

 riety may be traced in all the present- 

 day, yellow-flowered hybrids. Marliac 

 also used the rose-colored European spe- 

 cies in crossing with the American spe- 

 cies and the hybrid Marliacea rosea, in 



1887, was the first hybrid of rose color 

 among the hardy group. Marliac never 

 revealed the parentage of his hybrids, 

 chiefly for trade reasons. But the expert 

 can readily recognize them in the progeny. 



The hardy lilies are mainly represented 

 in our public parks and private estates. 

 They are rank growers and when once 

 planted do not demand the attention and 

 cultivation that the tropical representa- 

 tives do. They spread rapidly by their 

 continuous rhizomes, which subdivide, it 

 becoming necessary, therefore, to keep 

 them within bounds. These hardy lilies 

 flower in the late spring until August ; the 

 hot weather at that time usually retards 

 the production of flowers. The hardy 

 type should form the nucleus of all 

 aquatic collections. — An address deliver- 

 ed at the annual meeting of the Missouri 

 State Horticultural Society. 



With preparations sold to create a con- 

 dition favorable to the multiplication of 

 protozoans (infusoria, etc.) it is no 

 longer necessary or desirable to allow a 

 tank to stand over winter without fishes 

 in order to condition it for breeding 

 labyrinth fishes. In such a tank the 

 maximum protozoan content was reached 

 and passed long before it was used for 

 breeding. 



Books, good reliable books, as well as 

 tanks, plants and fishes, are necessary to 

 a successful nature-student. 



