72 Attempt to grow some tender Aquatics 



either case, soon reached it, and established themselves. On being 

 first placed there, they did not grow at all for some weeks ; but 

 on my return, after several weeks' absence, I found them beginning 

 to grow; and, about the middle of June, oneof the limnocharises 

 flowered. In the beginning of July, there were five or six 

 flowers out in a day, and they kept on increasing. Two plants of 

 the iVymphse^a came on very well, and, about the middle of July, 

 each plant put out two flowers. The weather was excessively 

 cold ; but they managed to stand it, and opened pretty well. One 

 plant seemed stronger than the other ; and its flowers, when fully 

 expanded, measured more than 3 in. across; the other about 

 S^^in. The leaves of the former are 7 in., 8 in., and even 9 in., 

 long ; but those of the second, although the plant appears very 

 healthy, are not above from 3 in. to 5 in. in length. One plant 

 of the TVymphae^a has never altered since it was put in. The one 

 which has flowered the best has never had more than a dozen 

 leaves up at a time. Early in August, I took up a basket con- 

 taining several plants of Limn6charis and the smaller iS/ymphee^a, 

 and sent them over to Poynton (Lord Vernon's collieries, near 

 Stockport). I enquired about them the other day, and found 

 they were doingwell; but I intend to ride over, and getfurtherpar- 

 ticulars. When I left here for Jersey (Aug. 5.), the Limnocharis 

 covered 4 or 5 square yards ; but on my return on Sept. 19., 1 

 found at least 60 yards covered ; and, without exaggeration (from 

 actual counting), 500 flowers out in a day. They are now in- 

 creasing at such an inordinate rate, and sometimes choking the 

 pipes, that I gave orders to have all within reach at the sides 

 raked ofl'; though there is still plenty left in 6 or 7 feet water 

 out of reach. I found, also, that the largest iVymphseV had 

 flowered again during my absence, and had still one unexpanded 

 bud just above water. This opened better than those in July, 

 the weather being warmer. The flowers of the A^ymphas'a lasted 

 several days : in our stove, 1 think, they only lasted one. 



With regard to temperature ; for nearly two months after the 

 plants were placed in the reservoirs, the heat of the water varied 

 at the surface from 60° to 1 00°, and sometimes appeared uncom- 

 fortably hot for the plants ; but an alteration having been made 

 in the conducting troughs, which cooled the water 15° to 20°, 

 they appeared to thrive better. 



It was just after this that the A^ymphse^a first flowered, though 

 the Limnocharis had commenced long before. I am sure I am 

 correct in saying that, during the first flowering of this latter 

 plant, the water at the surface was little short of 100°, and at the 

 bottom 80°. I ascertained this by putting a thermometer down 

 at the end of a long stick, and drawing it up so quickly, that it 

 had not time to rise. Tlie temperature since the alterations, I 

 think, has never been above 80° at the surface, and 65° to 70° at 



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