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or rootstock as when once injured they are liable to be destroyed by 

 rot. An average depth of 9 inches to I foot in planting with a foot 

 of water is sufficient. 



In manuring, the most satisfactory method is to drain off the 

 water, place the manure round the base of the stems and setting a 

 coolie to stamp it into the existing mud, allowing the water to flow 

 into the pond or tank on conclusion of this operation. Beyond 

 removing withered leaves and occasional mulchings as described, 

 very little cultural attention is required. 



Propagation by seeds and division of rhizomes. The seeds are 

 often difficult to obtain owing to their many valuable properties. 

 Division of the rhizomes is best performed by a sharp knife and the 

 cut should be clean, a new growth being left to each division. 



A^. speciosum ; — Of this spt-cies there are many varieties, differing 

 chiefly in the colour of their flowers. N. speciosum or the Egyptian 

 Bean of Pythagoras, has deliciously scented large, white flowers tip- 

 ped with rose and is spoken of as an emblem of fertility. The leaves 

 are large and exactly peltate in the centre, supported on long, 

 cylindrical pedicels. 



N. speciosum var. album is similar to the above with white flowers. 

 The Japanese have several varities varying in colour from pure white 

 to deep rose. The plant is wild in the Malay Peninsula, and is parti- 

 cularly abundant in the ditches of Province Wellesley, where the 

 native children gather and sell bunches of the flowers to the railway 

 passengers. 



Nymphaea, N.O. Nymplmeaceae; — A large genus of beautiful and 

 popular aquatics of wide destribution, the majority coming from the 

 Northern Henisphere or Tropical Regions and a few being found in 

 South Africa and Australia. 



The flowers are solitary, often large, white, blue or red and 

 exceedingly showy. Their opening is of short duration, lasting only 

 from early morning until a few hours before midday at latest. In 

 artifically heated houses in Europe, one variety N. devoniensis, is 

 exceedingly peculiar with regard to the opening of its flowers. They 

 open very early in the morning (about 4 a.m'. or earlier) and close up 

 shortly after 7 a.m. 



When a Nymphaea flower has faded (and this holds good in 

 nearly all aquatics) it disappears under water so that when seed is 

 required of these plants, the water must be thoroughly searched for 

 them. 



Pedicels cylindrical, short or long as required by the depth of the 

 water. When mature, they are always of sufficient length to allow 

 the leaves to float on the surface of the water. Leaves large, cordate 

 or peltate. 



