﻿August, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  309 
  

  

  The 
  Egyptian 
  Lotus 
  Successfully 
  Grown 
  in 
  New 
  Jersey 
  

  

  an 
  ordinary 
  teacup, 
  and 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  seeds 
  in 
  separate 
  cells. 
  

   It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  aquatics 
  given 
  the 
  same 
  conditions 
  

   as 
  our 
  native 
  water 
  lilies 
  will 
  grow 
  profusely, 
  and 
  give 
  more 
  

   pleasure 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  plants. 
  

  

  For 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  no 
  natural 
  or 
  artificial 
  basins, 
  several 
  

   varieties 
  can 
  be 
  grown 
  in 
  tubs, 
  or 
  half 
  barrels, 
  set 
  down 
  in 
  

   the 
  earth. 
  The 
  results 
  are 
  especially 
  attractive 
  and 
  effective 
  

   where 
  the 
  spaces 
  between 
  the 
  tubs 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  stones 
  and 
  

   earth, 
  and 
  sedges, 
  ferns 
  and 
  other 
  marsh-loving 
  plants, 
  hardy 
  

   ornamental 
  grasses, 
  clumps 
  of 
  bamboo 
  and 
  hardy 
  herbaceous 
  

   plants 
  are 
  set 
  among 
  the 
  rocks, 
  taking 
  care 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  over- 
  

   shadow 
  the 
  water 
  plants. 
  The 
  sweet 
  alyssum, 
  called 
  "carpet 
  

   of 
  snow," 
  is 
  a 
  beautiful 
  plant 
  to 
  surround 
  the 
  tubs. 
  All 
  of 
  

   the 
  Nelumbia 
  and 
  the 
  hardy 
  Nymphaeas 
  can 
  be 
  well 
  grown 
  

   in 
  half 
  tubs. 
  

  

  The 
  best 
  soil 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  rotted 
  vegetable 
  matter 
  from 
  

   ponds 
  and 
  swamps. 
  The 
  best 
  substitute 
  for 
  this 
  is 
  heavy 
  

   garden 
  loam 
  mixed 
  with 
  compost. 
  Place 
  six 
  inches 
  of 
  earth 
  

   in 
  each 
  tub 
  ; 
  plant 
  but 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  roots 
  in 
  each, 
  scatter 
  one 
  

   inch 
  of 
  sandy 
  gravel 
  over 
  them 
  : 
  then 
  fill 
  the 
  tubs 
  with 
  six 
  

   inches 
  of 
  water, 
  avoiding 
  the 
  displacement 
  of 
  the 
  sand. 
  As 
  

   all 
  water 
  lilies 
  prefer 
  still, 
  warm 
  water, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  mistake 
  to 
  

   have 
  any 
  fountain 
  or 
  continuous 
  inflow, 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  natural 
  

   ponds 
  a 
  large 
  inflow 
  of 
  cold 
  spring 
  water 
  affects 
  the 
  growth 
  

   harmfully. 
  In 
  the 
  smaller 
  artificial 
  ponds 
  or 
  tanks 
  the 
  

   best 
  method 
  is 
  to 
  replace 
  the 
  water 
  by 
  a 
  

   hose, 
  in 
  the 
  late 
  afternoon 
  or 
  evening, 
  syr- 
  

   inging 
  the 
  plants 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  thereby 
  

   keeping 
  in 
  check 
  the 
  green 
  and 
  black 
  fly. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  William 
  Macfarland, 
  superinten- 
  

   dent 
  of 
  schools 
  in 
  Bordentown, 
  N. 
  J., 
  de- 
  

   votes 
  much 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  writer 
  on 
  such 
  subjects. 
  He 
  

   has, 
  in 
  his 
  yard, 
  a 
  three-by-five 
  feet 
  water 
  

   garden, 
  flanked, 
  next 
  the 
  garden 
  path, 
  by 
  

   Japanese 
  iris, 
  such 
  as 
  Onoto 
  Watanna 
  says 
  

   make 
  a 
  purple 
  world 
  of 
  Japan. 
  

  

  The 
  walls 
  and 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  basin 
  are 
  

   of 
  single 
  brick 
  set 
  in 
  cement, 
  and 
  covered 
  

   by 
  cement 
  to 
  prevent 
  leakage. 
  A 
  garden 
  

   hose 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  fill 
  it. 
  The 
  plants 
  in 
  it 
  are 
  

   hardy 
  water 
  lilies, 
  a 
  Cape 
  Cod 
  pink, 
  or 
  

   Nymphaea 
  odorata, 
  var. 
  rosea, 
  of 
  a 
  de- 
  

   lightful 
  scent, 
  and 
  a 
  yellow 
  Nymphaea 
  

   marliacea, 
  var. 
  chromatin 
  a, 
  with 
  spotted 
  

   leaves. 
  A 
  water 
  hyacinth, 
  with 
  its 
  floating 
  

   foliage, 
  suspended 
  roots, 
  and 
  brilliant 
  blue 
  

   flowers 
  assists 
  in 
  the 
  purification 
  of 
  the 
  wa- 
  

   ter. 
  The 
  hyacinth 
  is 
  tropical, 
  and 
  needs 
  to 
  

   be 
  removed 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  in 
  winter. 
  It 
  

   grows 
  well 
  in 
  a 
  jardiniere, 
  with 
  some 
  earth 
  

  

  and 
  water, 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  kept 
  always 
  in 
  

   the 
  sun. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  lily 
  basin 
  is 
  never 
  

   changed 
  except 
  by 
  overflow 
  in 
  rains 
  and 
  by 
  

   evaporation, 
  and 
  the 
  plants 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   disturbed 
  for 
  five 
  years. 
  There 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  

   goldfish 
  in 
  the 
  pond. 
  In 
  early 
  June 
  they 
  

   deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   hyacinth. 
  If 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  basin, 
  the 
  gold 
  fish 
  

   eat 
  the 
  eggs, 
  so 
  they 
  are 
  removed, 
  for 
  

   hatching 
  purposes, 
  to 
  a 
  tub 
  of 
  water 
  hold- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  hyacinth. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  basin 
  

   is 
  very 
  pure, 
  and 
  the 
  choice 
  fish 
  put 
  in 
  it 
  five 
  

   years 
  ago 
  are 
  still 
  flourishing. 
  It 
  is 
  advis- 
  

   able 
  to 
  place 
  fish 
  in 
  ponds 
  and 
  tanks, 
  for 
  the 
  

   benefit 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  to 
  prevent 
  mos- 
  

   quito 
  breeding. 
  An 
  occasional 
  frog 
  finds 
  

   its 
  way 
  to 
  this 
  Bordentown 
  water 
  garden. 
  

   In 
  cold 
  weather 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  lowered 
  

   eight 
  inches 
  by 
  dipping 
  it 
  out, 
  and 
  a 
  cold 
  frame 
  is 
  put 
  on. 
  In 
  

   hard 
  winter 
  additional 
  covering 
  of 
  leaves 
  or 
  straw 
  is 
  put 
  

   around 
  the 
  wall 
  and 
  boards 
  over 
  the 
  cold 
  frame. 
  

  

  On 
  Chestnut 
  Street, 
  in 
  Salem, 
  Mass., 
  Mr. 
  Philip 
  Little 
  

   has 
  a 
  dainty 
  lily 
  pond 
  as 
  an 
  addition 
  to 
  a 
  lovely 
  garden. 
  The 
  

   method 
  used 
  in 
  constructing 
  a 
  cement 
  basin 
  of 
  this 
  type 
  is 
  

   to 
  pound 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  excavation 
  till 
  they 
  are 
  

   firm; 
  then 
  cover 
  the 
  whole 
  with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  six 
  inches 
  of 
  

   puddled 
  clay, 
  pounding 
  it 
  with 
  wooden 
  mauls 
  to 
  bring 
  it 
  to 
  

   a 
  solid 
  wall. 
  After 
  this 
  the 
  sides 
  should 
  be 
  covered 
  with 
  

   rough 
  stones, 
  and 
  a 
  thin 
  layer 
  of 
  concrete 
  added. 
  The 
  top 
  

   of 
  the 
  wall 
  should 
  be 
  plastered 
  with 
  cement. 
  A 
  depth 
  of 
  

   two 
  feet 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  right 
  dimension. 
  This 
  cemented 
  pond 
  

   of 
  Mr. 
  Little's 
  is 
  double 
  in 
  construction, 
  like 
  a 
  figure 
  eight. 
  

   The 
  flowers 
  are 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  vari-colored 
  Nymphaea. 
  

  

  Another 
  very 
  beautiful 
  water 
  garden 
  is 
  owned 
  by 
  Judge 
  

   C. 
  E. 
  Hoitt, 
  of 
  Nashua, 
  N. 
  H. 
  This 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  Judge 
  

   Hoitt's 
  country 
  estate, 
  a 
  mile 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  from 
  Nashua. 
  The 
  

   lily 
  pond 
  is 
  a 
  cement 
  basin, 
  semi-circular, 
  set 
  in 
  a 
  hollow 
  at 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  a 
  rise 
  of 
  ground, 
  on 
  the 
  path 
  to 
  the 
  lodge 
  and 
  

   reading-room. 
  In 
  the 
  basin 
  are 
  grown 
  Nelumbium 
  specio- 
  

   sum 
  (the 
  Egyptian 
  lotus), 
  and 
  different 
  varieties 
  of 
  Nym- 
  

   phaea. 
  Japanese 
  rice 
  is 
  planted 
  about 
  the 
  basin 
  and 
  in 
  it, 
  

   and 
  Japanese 
  iris 
  and 
  banana 
  plants 
  skirt 
  it. 
  This 
  garden 
  is 
  

   so 
  beautiful 
  that 
  the 
  daughter 
  of 
  a 
  former 
  governor 
  of 
  New 
  

  

  The 
  

  

  Plants 
  Have 
  Been 
  Growing 
  for 
  Five 
  Years 
  in 
  this 
  Basin 
  Without 
  

   Change 
  or 
  Removal 
  

  

  