iSz WATER-LILIES 



way to get rid of him is by means of traps, 

 though it will pay anyone with many water- 

 lilies to employ the services of a professional 

 trapper. Yet even then a few muskrats 

 may be left or come in from the outside, just 

 when one is reasonably satisfied that the pest 

 has been eliminated. This is especially 

 liable to be the case where the ponds are in 

 the neighbourhood of other natural ponds or 

 of a river. An absolutely safe means of pro- 

 tection against these marauders is to place 

 the roots in large shallow boxes, say three by 

 four feet wide and two feet deep, which are 

 sunk in the proper places. Having filled 

 the boxes with soil the plants are placed in 

 their proper position and wide slats are 

 nailed over the top, at a distance of about 

 two inches from each other. This allows the 

 leaf and flow^er buds plenty of room to pass 

 through, while it prevents Mr. Muskrat from 

 getting in. 



Another enemy to be guarded against, 

 though at a different time of the year, is the 

 snapping turtle, who, delighting in the 



