In the North it is necessary to have the tender water-lilies grown under glass, if a long season of bloom is desired. This picture shows the red and blue Zanzibar 

 lilies in full flower in Mr. S. Untermeyer's greenhouse at YonKers, on April 26th, long before plants could be put outdoors 



None of its kin surpasses it in size and free- 

 dom of flowering. The leaves, too, are as 

 large as those of any of its allies, spotted 

 with brown above, and more or less bluish 

 beneath. 



THE YELLOW GLORIES TO COME 



There are two treasures awaiting intro- 

 duction, and which promise great things. 

 Africa hides in its vast interior two yellow 

 tender species, allied to the present blues and 

 reds and whites. One has excellent double 

 flowers six or seven inches across, (Nym- 

 phcea Stuhlmannii) . The other, (Nym- 

 phcea sulphured), is a pigmy, with flowers 

 and leaves two to three inches in diameter. 

 Aside from their individual attractions, 

 think what a future they offer for hybridiza- 

 tion! It is earnestly hoped that they will 

 not long be absent from our gardens. 



THE WATER REQUIREMENTS 



As to the care of water-lilies of this class 

 during summer, little need be said. They 

 like tubs of earth, from two to four feet in 

 diameter. A very good plan is to use a still 

 larger tub, and set in it two or three roots. 

 This insures constant and copious blooming. 

 The water need not be more than ten inches 



deep, above the crown of the plant. A foot 

 is better, and two feet will do no harm, if 

 you can get heat enough. The shallower the 

 pond, the more readily it is warmed by the 

 sun. As all of these are tropical plants, 

 they need as much heat as they can get. 

 An especially hot summer at Philadelphia 

 makes them luxuriant. Plants may be set 

 out as soon as warm weather is fully and per- 

 manently established, and the water has 

 begun to temper — say June ist to 15th. 



HOW TO GET THE PLANTS 



All the true species seed freely, and may be 

 easily raised from seed. These are N. 

 gigantea, elegans, gracilis, ampla, Capensis, 

 Zanzibariensis, versicolor, and carulea. Sow 

 the seeds in February, in small pots or pans, 

 cover them lightly with sand, and keep in 

 warm water, about 8o° F. When the plants 

 have produced three or four leaves each, 

 prick off into separate three-inch pots, with 

 rich earth, and keep them in warm tanks, 

 with plenty of sunshine. Let them grow as 

 fast as possible, and repot when necessary. 

 Harden off a little in cooler water before 

 setting out. When set out they should have 

 about three leaves, from three to six inches 

 across. Persons who have no accommoda- 

 324 



tions for all this will do best to purchase 

 plants. They are not very costly. 



WINTERING — A PROBLEM 



Wintering is really a difficult matter, re- 

 quiring some skill and a good deal of space. 

 Full-grown plants may be taken up bodily 

 before frost, either in their tubs, or with a 

 big ball of earth, and wintered in a large, 

 warm tank. They will keep on blooming, 

 with plenty of heat and light, or will merely 

 keep alive in lower temperatures. Plants 

 which have grown large, and flowered, will 

 not live over in any other way, excepting 

 Nymphcea flavo-virens, and its kin. Usu- 

 ally, therefore, the old plants are left outside 

 to die. 



MAKING TUBERS TO PROPAGATE 



All hybrids, however, are practically 

 sterile, and must be propagated from the 

 "roots." The same method may also be 

 used for the true species. Indeed, one can 

 never depend on the purity of seed where 

 several kinds have been grown in the 

 same tank. Natural hybrids are common. 

 Hence, for pure stock we must commonly 

 have recourse to the following method. 

 Begin a year in advance. A young plant of 



