120 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF GARDENING. 



which the sticky substance prevents them moving. 

 After their capture they should be kept in water, so as to 

 keep them more safely until they grow. 



" People who have no tanks, and who wish to begin the 

 culture of Water-lilies, can very well make shift will) 

 casks sawn through the middle. In temperate countries 

 it is unnecessary to protect these tub-, against the frost, 

 but in cold countries they must be protected. To do this, 

 a trench is made of a depth of about one-third the height 

 of the tubs, which are then placed in it and banked up to 

 their edges with the earth dug out. One would hardly 

 believe what a charming effect can be produced by tubs 

 arranged in this style. 



" Water-lilies are blessed with a surprising vitality, 

 which allows them to live for quite a long time out of the 

 water, and, in consequence, to survive very long voyages 

 without being any the worse. For example, in 1SS9 I 

 sent to the Universal Exhibition at Paris a collection of 

 my hybrids in a case, which was lost on the railway, and 

 which could not be found for over a month. I was then 



jbliged to replace this first instalment. Some time after- 

 wards I received a memorandum informing me that the 

 package bad been found, and asking me what should be 

 done with it. Feeling certain that the plants would be 

 dead, I ordered them to he sunt bark by slow train, 

 but on their arrival I was astonished to see them in good 

 order, pushing shoots, and very little the worse for being 

 so long boxed up. I have thrown waste plants on to the 

 earth surrounding the ponds, and have found their roots 

 still quite sound after having lain six months on the open 

 ground. 



"Pests. — I have only had to complain seriously of the 

 ravages committed by two kinds of larvse, the one black 

 and the other white, produced by certain small yellowish 

 white butterflies which deposit their eggs on the floating 

 leaves. These larvre, at first almost invisible, grow to 

 about the thickness of a wheat straw, and devour the 

 leaves of the Lilies during the night. They are very 

 clever in hiding themselves during the day, laying 

 fragments of the leaves on their bodies and covering 



themselves up with pieces of Lemna or Azolla. Their 

 devastation would be serious if it could not be easily 

 stopped by pouring on the surface of the water some 

 drops of a mixture of three-quarters colza oil to one- 

 quarter of paraffin, a sufficient dose to poison and destroy 

 them without hurting the plants. 



" I should not bring this dissertation on Water-lilies to 

 an end without bestowing a few words on the splendid 

 section of the Cyanea, or blue Water-lilies. It is greatly 

 to be regretted that hitherto all attempts to cross them 

 with their hardy congeners of the Northern Hemisphere 

 have so far failed. It would be a great triumph to add 

 to the already sumptuous collection some hardy hybrids 

 of a sky-blue colour with a delightful perfume. They are 

 very variable, as from the seed of N. zanzibarensis one 

 can obtain the most beautiful colourings of deep blue, 

 tender blue, intense violet, clear violet, violet red, 

 pink, etc. , that it is possible to imagine. But, alas ! these 

 charming varieties, which have also the advantage of 

 being day-flowering, will only thrive with a considerable 



amount of heat. At Temple-sur-Lot, which has a great 

 number of running springs. W ater lilies are grown all 

 the year round in the open air thus : From the end of 

 October to April 15th I pass through their basins a 

 constant current of water from the running springs to 

 preserve them from the cold, and as soon as warmth 

 comes I turn off the springs, so that the temperature of 

 the water in the basins becomes the same as that of the 

 air. By these simple means it is possible to enjoy for five 

 months the flowering of these grand plants."' 

 N. alba. Of our common native Water-lily there is 

 a splendid variety named candidissima, which has larger 

 flowers than the familiar Water-lily of English ponds 

 and rivers, and is clear white. It is pleasant to see a 

 large group of this on a summer day, with the big white 

 flowers above the green leaves. Alba Rosea is a pretty 

 rose tint. 



N. Laydekeri and its hybrids form a delightful group. 

 As these plants are less vigorous than the Marliacea set, 

 they are more suitable for small ponds, tubs, or tanks. 



