ON AQUATIC PLANTS. 



The Nelumbiums, which form such an important feature in an 

 Aquatic - house with their large, orbicular - peltate leaves and 

 massive flowers — yellow, white, and various shades of rose- — 

 require very liberal treatment at the roots and plenty of space 

 for their long, fleshy rhizomes to develop in. When preparing a 

 bed for their reception, the soil should consist of rich, heavy 

 loam (as previously recommended for Nymphaeas), two parts, and 

 one of good decomposed cow or horse manure, well incorporated. 

 The soil should be firmly pressed down, planting the rhizomes 

 horizontally, and covering them to a depth of about 6in. 

 Nelumbiums are very impatient of root-disturbance, therefore 

 they should seldom be interfered with, even when they are well 

 established, beyond giving them an annual surfacing of good rich 

 soil. They can be successfully grown in tubs or large pots, 

 but the best results are obtained when space admits of their 

 being treated as described above. 



The floating Aquatics, or those kinds that do not necessarily 

 require soil in which to grow, form especial objects of beauty 

 when established in small colonies at the sides of the tank, and 

 these include the Water Lettuce — Pistia Stratiofes, a pretty 

 rosette-like plant with pale green leaves ; Limnobium bogotense, 

 which has little, round, deep green, shining leaves ; and the 

 elegant, little, fern-like annual, Salvinia natans^ which reproduces 

 itself from spores. 



The most suitable time for planting Nymphaeas in an indoor 

 tank is from the middle to the end of February, and this also 

 applies to the majority of tender Aquatics. Of course, the 

 occasional introduction of additional plants will occur during 

 the growing season — it may be of annuals or plants which are 

 best treated as such — -and these may be included at any time, as 

 they will in no way interfere with the general planting and 

 arrangement of the tank for the year. When this has all been 

 done, the temperature of the water in the tank should be kept 

 at about yodeg. Fahr., with a gradual rise as the summer 

 advances ; it should then not be allowed to exceed 8odeg., but 

 this shoald be maintained as uniformly as possible during the 

 summer months. The house should be freely ventilated on 

 bright sunny days, and the paths and sides occasionally damped 

 down to prevent the atmosphere from becoming too dry, closing 

 the ventilators in the afternoon while the sun is still on the house, 

 and at the same time giving the plants a good syringing and the 

 paths and sides a thorough damping down. Should green or 

 black aphis affect them, fumigation, which is very effectual, should 

 be resorted to ; but before this is done, the surface of the foliage 

 should be quite dry, or it will become disfigured. As the season 

 draws towards its close, the temperature of the water in the tank 

 should be gradually diminished to about 6odeg. Fahr., and this 

 should be maintained throughout the winter months. 



