3o8 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



August, 1907 



N ANCIENT Egypt there were three varie- 

 ties of the lotus: the sacred lotus, called by 

 modern writers the "rose lily," because of 

 Its beautiful pink color; the sweet-scented 

 blue lotus; and the white. I he seed of the 

 white lotus, called the "sacred bean," was 

 used for food and made into bread, its taste 

 being like that of sweet almonds. As it was said to affect the 

 memory so that people forgot their native countries, Homer 

 warned his countrymen to "abstain from beans." 



The Egyptians gave a lotus to each guest at festivals, of- 

 fered it to their gods in religious ceremonies, and painted and 

 carved its form upon their temples. At feasts the walls were 

 decorated with the lotus, and a vase of the fragrant varieties 

 was placed on a table before the gixer of the feast. The 

 attendants hung necklaces of the flower on the neck of each 

 guest, and placed a wreath on his head, so arranged that a 

 bud or cluster of blossoms fell exactly in the center of the 

 forehead. It was regarded as a symbol of Eife by the peo- 



ple of upper Egypt. The seed was sown by v^rapping it in 

 clay, and throwing it into the water. The words "Cast thy 

 bread upon the waters and it shall return to thee after many 

 days" refers to the way the lotus was planted. 



In our own country, also, the Indians planted the lotus and 

 used the roots and seed for food. At Sharpstown, near 

 Woodstown, N. J., in the southern part of the State, is a 

 millpond belonging to Mr. A. M. Oliphant. It runs the 

 entire western side of the town, covering between fifteen and 

 twenty acres, and is bordered by a fine grove on the western 

 side. It is filled with lotus plants the Indians set out, the 

 x ariety known as the Nelumbiiim Intern. The blooms, some 

 of which stand five feet out of water, measure five to ten 

 inches across, and are a beautiful canary yellow. The flowers 

 last about six weeks, from the middle of July till the first of 

 September, and people come many miles while they are in 

 season to see this superbly beautiful sheet of water covered 

 with blossoms. The plant roots are very deep in the mud, 

 and look like a sweet potato. The seed pod is as large as 



A New Hampshire Water Garden of Truly 

 Tropical Eifect 



Pink and Yellow Nymphaea and Water Hyacinth 

 in Cemented Basin 



