FLORAL BEAUTIES OF OUR BOGS AND PONDS. 



95 



to die, for there is no surer way to kill them than by 

 covering. When the roots have not been disturbed after 

 planting, I have never known an instance where tying on 

 a stone or brick anchor and throwing them in was not 

 successful. 



When once established water-lilies are very persist- 

 ent. I once had the roots dug out of a little pond to ex- 

 terminate them, but they only grew thicker. Thinking 

 the work was not well done, wa next year bailed out the 

 pond and dug out every root we could find ; but still they 

 grew, for it was almost impossible to dig or pull them 

 without some lit- 

 tle pieces break- 

 ing off, and re- 

 maining to grow 

 into large plants 

 next year. I fin- 

 ally covered 

 them with earth, 

 and thus suc- 

 ceeded in killing 

 them. Valuable 

 plants are often 

 lost b y having 

 the roots covered 

 with the washing 

 of floods. They 

 will do well in a 

 tub or tank, but 

 a natural or arti- 

 ficial pond is 

 better. The 

 breeding of mos- 

 quitoes can be 

 avoided by keep- 

 ing one or two 

 roaches(sun-fish) 

 in the tub. 



In Canada the 

 fresh leaves are 

 boiled and eaten 

 as ' ' greens "; the 

 fresh roots are 

 used a s a part 

 substitute for 

 soap, and the 



juice of the roots, .\ Su.n.vMiR D 



mingled with 



that of lemon, is used to remove freckles from the face. 

 They have also been used for dying fabrics deep brown, 

 the color being retained admirably. The purple stain is 

 noticeable with much handling of either the root or stem. 

 This species has also some repute as a medicinal plant. 



With us the plants begin to bloom the last week in May 

 or the first in June, and continue until the first week in 

 October. Everything else being equal, those in the most 

 shallow water will first come into bloom. One writer 

 says that they open about eight o'clock in the morning 

 and close about noon ; but, in fact, the time of opening 



and closing depends largely upon the weather. In a hot 

 summer day they may open at five o'clock in the morning 

 and close before noon, while in a cool and cloudy day 

 they may not open until after nine o'clock, and will staj 

 open all day. In a sunny day they are generally all 

 closed by one o'clock. The older flowers first open in 

 the morning, and are the last to close ; and thus a person 

 sometimes begins to pick so early or late that he gets 

 nothing but old flowers which have opened for about the 

 last time. Each flower opens four days in succession, 

 and finally wholly or partly closes, never to open again. 



The stem then 

 curls up into a 

 spiral form and 

 dravv-s the old 

 flower under 

 the water, 

 where the fruit 

 is ripened, sink- 

 ing to the bot- 

 tom, finally 

 falling to 

 pieces, the seeds 

 escaping and 

 drifting away 

 to some lodging 

 place where 

 they may grow, 

 generally in 

 among a clus- 

 ter of estab- 

 lished plants, so 

 that the in- 

 crease from 

 seed lings as 

 well as from 

 the growth of 

 the roots is gen- 

 erally in the 

 spreading o u t 

 or expansion of 

 the various old 

 clusters or 

 beds. New beds 

 coming up in 

 clear water are 



Vs GLEANING. exceptional. If 



we would cover 



new ground, we must break them up and replant them. 

 A row was thus planted entirely around the Lock-shop 

 pond, and in some places several rows have been planted. 



The first day that a flower opens there is a broad, deep, 

 cup-shaped space in its center, the tips of the petals curv- 

 ing gracefully outwards. Each succeeding day the petals 

 gradually draw near together, until they touch and wholly 

 fill the center, and sometimes on the last day they begin 

 to turn black. The change from day to day is so marked 

 that one can tell by sight the age of each open flower in 

 days, as readily and accurately as a child's age in years. 



