130 FAMILIAR GAltVEy FLOWERS. 



winter. A hardy plant it is wA, and many a one lias 

 lived through two or three mild winters on the margin of a 

 jiond or stream, only to perish and leave no trace of its 

 existence when a sharp winter has come and put it to the 

 pn.iof ui: extreme endurance. The arum lily is a green- 

 house iilant, hali'-aquatic in habit, yet bearing to be dried 

 up in suramerj as though water were the last of its neces- 

 sities. But the drying-up is not good practice, for it 

 results in the production of small liowers ; whereas, if the 

 l)laut be kept moist all the summer through, it will in 

 spring produce large flowers, and a greater number of 

 them than is possible in the case of plants that are i'or- 

 gotten, as many are from the moment they have ceased to 

 be attractive. 



Being a most accommodating plant, it may lie grown 

 in a variety of ways. As a pot-plaut for the greenhouse, 

 it may be easily managed to make its best display at 

 Easter, when for decorative purposes its lovely spathes or 

 flowers are invaluable. Any kind of greenhouse that is 

 light, and safe against frost, will serve for wintering the 

 stock ; and the time of flowering will be very nuich in the 

 determination of the cultivator, for by raising the tem- 

 perature as the days lengthen the jilaut will respond, and 

 pr(.iduce its flowers before the ustud time. It ma\' happen 

 that when forced a few aphides will appear on the jiLints. 

 In this case nothing more is needed than simph- to lirush 

 them off and kill them, for the plant bears handling, 

 and fumigating is c|uite unnecessary, unless it hajipens 

 that other plants in the hiuise are in a similar plight, 

 for we cannot remove the insects fron^ all kinds of plants 

 so easily- as from the arums. 



The routine culture insures to the cultivator a rapid 



