144 WATER PLAXTS. 



a very certain method to let the tubers float on the surface of an indoor 

 tank, or tub, on which the sun has full play; they soon begin to form 

 roots quite freely, and when put out by the middle of May or beginning 

 of June, according to locality, they continue to grow very luxuriantly, 

 making even greater progress than those which have succeeded in start- 

 ug outside. 



Insect Enemies are not numerouR ; there is one moth, however, which 

 causes great trouble, especially in the vicinity of long-established colo- 

 nies of the American species, N.luteum. This insect deposits its eggs on 

 the leaves, and on hatching the caterpillars attack the outer edges prin- 

 cipally, rolling the leaves inward as they develop. Another favorite 

 point of attack is the stem of the leaf. Beginning at the top the cater- 

 pillar will eat out the interior part for several inches. In large collec- 

 tions it is a serious matter to attempt to combat this pest, but where 

 there are only a few plants hand picking will prevent them doing much 

 Injury. 



NYMPHi^A— When anything like fair treatment is given most of the 

 species and varieties of Nymphseas grow very rapidly and flower abun- 

 dantly. There are only one or two kinds which are backward in this 

 respect, and unfortunately they are the most handsome ones of the 

 genus. N. gigantea, a light blue-flowered species from Australia, and 

 the rose colored variety of N. alba, are the principal offenders. The 

 former can be managed but not with the same treatment as is given the 

 other blue-flowered species. With N. alba rosea the trouble seems to be 

 caused by our hot Summers. However, there are numerous other species 

 and many hybrid forms which require much less attention than the 

 majority of other classes of plants to bring them to perfection. There 

 are in the neighborhood of 40 kinds to choose from. Of these about 

 half are tender; the others will stand the Winters successfully if the 

 crowns are low enough in the water to be out of the reach of frost. Or 

 if they be grown in places from which the water has to be drawn in 

 Winter, the plants may be covered with some protecting material. But 

 the question of just how much cold the various kinds will stand has not 

 been ascertained. I have had tubs of several kinds frozen solid for six 

 weeks at a time without injuring the plants in the least. 



The tender kinds are divided into two well defined sections — day 

 blooming and night blooming. In the day blooming section we have N. 

 gracilis, white; N. scutifolia, N. stellata, with numerous forms ranging 

 from colors almost blue to deep rose; N. pulcherrima produces flowers 

 exactly similar to those from plants raised from seed of N. gracilis, 

 which have evidently been fertilized by pollen from forms of N. stellata; 

 N. elegans, a Mexican species, has purplish flowers; N. gigantea, a light 

 blue-flowered species from Australia, has the largest blooms of all, 

 sometimes attaining a diameter of 16 inches. 



The Night-blooming section is represented by about ten kinds, the 

 best known of which are: N. Lotus, N. rubra, N. devoniensis, N.dentata 

 and N. Sturtevantii. Most of the other sorts are cross-bred forms be- 

 tween N. Lotus and N. Sturtevantii. All of the tender kinds have thick 



