STOVE AQUATICS. 177 



STOVE AQUATICS. 



HEREVER accommodation can be afforded, some 

 few water plants, either stove or temperate species, 

 should be grown. The Nymphmas are splendid 

 objects during the whole season, and with comparatively little 

 trouble afford a grand display, totally different to that of any 

 other class of plants. If building a house for these plants, 

 we should prefer to have it nearly square, with a ridge and 

 furrow roof. The tank, which would be iu the centre, should 

 also be square, and may be either placed below the surface, 

 or built up with brick-work, and covered with cement, or 

 formed of slates fitted together so as to hold water. When 

 buUt up in this way, it should be about three feet above 

 the ground level. We think this latter plan is far prefer- 

 able to that of placing it below the level, as it brings the 

 flowers nearer to the eye, and consequently sets them off 

 to much better advantage. We would also have small 

 tanks at tlie sides for growing smaller plants, such as 

 Limnocharis, Villarisa, Trapa, Pontederia, Ouvirandra, Pistia, 

 Vallisneria, Papyrus, and the many other plants of great 

 beauty which are obtainable, and which serve to make a 

 collection of aquatic plants one of the most interesting 

 features in any garden. For the Victoria house, we prefer 

 a circular tank, which should not be less than thirty feet 

 in diameter, if full justice is to be done to this regal Water 

 Lily. The house should also be circular, or of an octagon 

 shape, with no other tanks in it, but just a walk all round 

 the tank. We have frequently seen such an one as we 

 describe completely full of the fine leaves of this plant. 

 We have also seen the plant grown finely in a square tank in 

 a lean-to house. It is quite necessary to secure motion in 



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