HOW TO GROW WATER LILIES— continued 



Hardy Nymphaeas can be planted at any time from April to 

 September. The best results, however, will be obtained if the 

 planting is done just as they start into growth, which in the 

 vicinity of Philadelphia is about May 1st. 



Tender Nymphaeas will grow and luxuriate under the. same 

 conditions as the hardy Nymphaeas, but the more sheltered and 

 warmer the location the better will be the results. Where arti- 

 ficial heat can be introduced into the pond in earlv summer, the 

 results will more than repay for the extra care and trouble. 

 Tender Nymphaeas should not be planted until after the weather 

 has become warm and settled, or at about the same time that such 

 tender plants as Coleus, etc., are planted in the border. For 

 those who have greenhouse accommodation it will be better to 

 purchase dormant bulbs, which should be started into growth 

 about April 1st by being potted into six-inch pots, placed in 

 shallow tanks 10 inches deep under clear glass, the water to be 

 at a temperature of from 70 to SO -. Under these conditions thev 

 will be extra large plants by planting time. 



- The best results will be obtained when planted in the natural 

 mud bed, but, if the water is too deep, construct boxes four feet 

 or more square and eighteen inches deep, and place these in the 

 pond twelve inches below the surface cf water. In artificial 

 ponds and cement basins, cover the entire bottom with ten inches 

 of soil, top-dressed with two inches of sand or gravel. If this 

 cannot be done, use boxes or half-barrels filled with aquatic soil. 

 In small tanks or ponds there should be from six to ten feet 

 between each plant; in large ponds or lakes the best effects are 

 ■secured by planting in groups of three or more plants of one 

 variety to each group, allowing eighteen inches between each 

 plant and from ten to twenty -five feet between each group, 

 depending upon the size of the pond, location, etc. In planting 

 Nymphaeas, all that is necessary is to push the rhizomes into the 

 soft mud so that they will be merely covered, and it is a good 

 precaution to place a stone on them until rooted, to keep them in 

 piace. When planting dormant rhizomes, they should only be 

 covered with from two to three inches of water until they have 

 made their first floating leaf; then gradually increase the water as 

 the plants grow. When planting in natural ponds where the 

 depth of the water is not under control, it is advisable to start the 

 rhizomes in boxes or tubs. After they have made one or two 

 floating leaves transplant into their permanent positions. There 

 are more failures caused by planting dormant rhizomes in deep 

 water ten inches or over than from any other cause. 



Winter and Future Treatment. Hardy Nymphxas 

 and Nelumbiums need no care during the winter, provided the 

 water is of sufficient depth so that it will not freeze to the crown 

 of the plants. In cement tanks drain off all the water and fill in 

 with leaves or cover with boards and leaves or litter. Tubs may 

 be wintered by emptying the water and removing to a cool cellar 

 or greenhouse, or they may be covered with leaves and soil in the 

 garden in such a manner that they will not freeze. If grown 

 in tubs or boxes the plants should receive a top-dressing of bone 

 meal at the rate of one pound to each plant, just as growth 

 starts in spring. It should be distributed evenly over the sur- 

 face of the soil, and a little sand or fine soil spread over all to 

 keep it from floating away. The second spring after planting it 

 will be advisable to transplant all such plants as have made a 

 strong growth. This should be done by washing away most of 

 the soil from the roots, removing all side growths and replanting 

 the strong roots into fresh soil as before. The side growths, if 

 planted two or three together, will also make flowering plants the 

 same season. Lilies which are grown in beds of soil or in natural 

 ponds will be much benefited by an application in spring of 

 Dried Blood manure, broadcasted on the surface of the water at 

 the rate of one pound to every ten square feet of surface. Tender 

 Nymphaeas require to be wintered in tubs or tanks in a green- 

 house where a temperature of till is maintained. As strong plants 

 are quite troublesome to winter, even under favorable con- 

 ditions we advise to leave them out and get new plants each 

 season. 



Nelumbiums. These are supplied in tuber-, and should not 

 be planted before May 1st. The treatment i- the same as 

 recommended for hardy Nymphaeas, excepting that they do besl 



when planted in mud or soil that i- at least two feet deep and 

 covered only witli -ix inches of water. When planted with other 

 aquatics there should be partitions of brick or boards so as to con- 

 fine the tubers, otherwise the} will soon lake posses-ion of the 

 entire pond. In planting, place the tubers horizontally in the 

 mud so that the point will be merely covered. They are gross 

 feeders, and should have Dried Blood manure applied each 

 spring, as suggested above. 



«d is- Garden of Mr. M H 



'1 . I.ANS1V ilVSE, Pa. 



Victorias should not be planted in the open pond until after 

 June 10th, unless the pond is sufficiently heated so that a tem- 

 perature of SO-' can be maintained, in which case the plants may 

 be planted as early as May 10th. Each plant should have at 

 least three cart-loads of aquatic soil for the roots, and 300 sq. ft. 

 of water surface for the development of its leaves, and a depth of 

 18 inches of water above the crown of the plant. In other 

 respects their requirements are the same as recommended 

 lor tender Nymphaeas. In growing Victoria- from seed, sow 

 Victoria Regia at any time between January loth and April 

 1st in pots or pans, using finely-sifted soil. Cover the seed- 

 with one inch of soil and a slight dusting of sand. Sub- 

 merge the pots so that they will be four inches below the surface 

 of the water, the temperature of the water to be maintained at 

 ( .ti» to 95°. After the seedlings have made two leaves, pot them 

 singly into three-inch pots, using aquatic soil, and repot into 

 larger pots as required. Seeds sown before February loth should 

 be in twelve-inch pots or pans by May loth. The water temper- 

 ature can be reduced to 80° after the first potting. 



To successfully germinate Victoria Trickeri, cut a small hole 

 with the point of a sharp knife through the shell on the opposite 

 side from where the germ is. sow and give the same treatment as 

 recommended for Victoria Regia. Victoria Trickeri seed will 

 germinate in water at a temperature from 70 to 95°, and an 

 atmospheric night temperature of 60 c to 65- will be sufficient for 

 both varieties. To maintain as high a temperature as required to 

 germinate and grow Victorias, a metal tank is best. This should 

 be placed in as light a position and as near the glass as possible. 

 Enclose it below with a wooden case and use a lamp or gas-jet to 

 give the desired uniform heat. All metal tanks, before being 

 stocked with plants or seeds in pots, should have one inch of mud 

 spread over the bottom. This prevents metals giving off injurious 

 acids and gases. 



Submerged Plants. All tanks, ponds or lake- should 

 have submerged plants growing in them to aerif) the water, 

 thereby keeping it pure and sweet. The best plant- tor this pur- 

 pose are Anacharis canadensis gigantea. Cabomba viridifolia, 

 Sagittaria natans and Vallisneria spiralis. These can be planted 

 in water from six inches to two feet deep. 



Enemies. Greenfly and other insects on Nymphaeas can be 

 destroyed by a weak solution of kerosene emulsion applied only 

 after sundown. Nelumbium caterpillars or borers can be kept in 

 check and eventually exterminated by dusting the foliage once a 

 week with slug shot. This should be applied early in the morn- 

 ing before the dew has evaporated, otherwise the powder will not 

 adhere to the foliage. Never use kerosene emulsion on Nelum- 

 biums. Musk-rats, the worst of all aquatic enemies, are easily 



kept in check by -leel rat-trap-, set in their diving hole- or about 

 two inches under water, where their run- enter the pond. I lave 

 the chain fastened to a stake driven into the mud well out in the 

 water, -o that when I he trap is sprung the rat will not be able to 

 reach the bank, or it will escape. 



Fish. Fish should lie in all pond-, from the smallest tub to 



the largest lake, a- they will destroy all mosquito lai'\ .e and other 



insects. In lib pond- gold fish are preferable, being both useful 



and ornamental, and. if fed regularly at one place and hour thcv 

 will soon become very tame, and will be found awaiting Un- 

 expected meal, which maj consist of a -mall quantity of rolled 

 oats or corn meal. A tub should have two fish in it anil twent] 

 live fish will be sufficient to -lock i pond one hundred feet in 

 diameter. 



.'".I 



An article on Growing Water Lilies from Seed is given on page 113. 



