9 



quite prominent, and must not be entirely 

 "buried in the operation, but should be about 

 one-third of their size above the surface of 

 the soil, placing them as near the light as 

 possible, but not in the direct rays of the 

 sun. As the plants progress, about the 

 middle of May, they can either be placed in 

 a frame with sash over them, giving abun- 

 dance of air at all times, or plunged out-of- 

 doors in a bed of coal-ashes, with an easterly 

 or north-easterly aspect, for the summer. 



They will require to be repotted from time 

 to time, as the pots get full of roots, being 

 careful not to shift into too large pots at 

 once. By the middle of September they 

 should be removed into either greenhouse, 

 conservatory, or windows, bearing in mind 

 to keep them always as close to the direct 

 light as possible. By the middle of Novem- 

 ber many buds will be formed, when they 

 should have a little stimulating with liq- 

 uid manure until the flowers show color, 

 after which give only pure water. When in 

 bloom they may be 

 removed to a sitting- 

 room or parlor for 

 weeks without in- 

 jury. As they go out 

 of flower they will 

 not require so much 

 water, but avoid the 

 old-fashioned plan of 

 drying them off ; give 

 them the same treat- 

 ment as the summer 

 previous, never al- 

 lowing them to lose 

 their leaves entirely. 

 With this treatment, 

 two-year-old plants 

 ought to bear from 

 one to three hundred 

 blossoms each. 



THE VICTORIA REGIA AT HOME. 



Those who have only seen this magnificent 

 Water-Lily — the largest of all aquatic flower- 

 ing plants — growing in a greenhouse tank, 

 or shown at some horticultural exhibition, can 

 form little idea of its beauty and grandeur in 

 its wild state. It is a native of the Orinoco 

 and Amazonian regions, but, contrary to gen- 

 eral impression, is never found in the Ama- 

 zon itself. We have picked up small plants 

 floating in the main river, which by a rise of 

 the water had been torn from their beds, but 

 have never heard of any one who had seen a 

 plant growing in the main stream. 



Communicating with the Amazon are innu- 

 merable smaller channels and lakes ; in fact, 

 the whole region on either side of the river is 

 a net-work of water-courses, and it is on these 

 that the Victoria Regia is found. 



peculiar fascination 



THE GREENHOUSE 

 WILD-GARDEN. 



Many of our read- 

 ers have, doubtless, 

 found great pleasure 

 in devoting a little 

 attention to a wild- 

 garden. There is a 

 about it that is not found in the more per- 

 fect separate culture of the plants. 



Those who have greenhouses can have this 

 pleasure all the year round. Generally, we 

 find a very unsightly place under the staging. 

 Yet, if the walks are wide enough for real 

 convenience, there will usually be sufficient 

 light, for three or more feet under the 

 staging, for the growth of many plants that 

 delight in shade, and of some that flourish 

 best in stronger light. 



We have prepared the soil by a mixture of 

 loam, leaf-mold, and sand, and have put 

 therein a variety of low-growing or running 

 plants, which were then left to themselves. 

 Lycopodium moss makes the best ground 

 covering, with which there may be planted 

 English and Kenilworth Ivies, Tradescantia 

 discolor, varieties of low-growing Begonias 

 and Begonia Rex, many varieties of Ferns, 

 Saxifrage, etc., etc. A luxuriant ' tangle of 

 these often excites more admiration than a 

 fine assortment of well-grown plants. In 

 point of beauty, nothing can surpass a fine 

 bed of Lycopodium overrun with a good 

 growth of Cissus discolor. Frequent sprink- 

 ling is required. 



VICTORIA REGIA. 



Often the shallows of the lakes are covered 

 with the huge leaves, the plant growing in 

 the same way as our white Pond-Lily covers 

 the shallows of a pond. Like it, too, the 

 plant will grow in very little water, or where 

 it is very deep. 



The Indians say that these immense masses 

 of Lilies float around the lakes, but all we 

 have found were so firmly rooted as to ren- 

 der this impossible. The more shallow chan- 

 nels of the streams are sometimes rendered 

 almost impassable by the great masses of 

 this plant. It has seemed to us almost a 

 sacrilege to paddle our canoe through these 

 masses, breaking up the great leaves and 

 destroying the beautiful flowers. 



The plant, glorious as it is when covering 

 the whole surface of the water, is perhaps 

 seen to best advantage where a single plant 

 grows in some little bay ; it is individualized, 

 and impresses one more than when numbers 

 are seen together. 



Each leaf floats by itself, for the foot- 

 stalks are very long, and the flowers, which 

 are usually seen in different stages upon the 

 same plant, show far more prominently. The 

 native name of the plant is "Forna," so 

 called because the large leaves with the 



edges turned up one or two inches bear some 

 resemblance to the "fornas," or large earthen 

 pans, in which the mandioca, which serves 

 as a substitute for bread, is baked. 



Descriptions which ha ve been given have 

 greatly exaggerated the size of the leaves. 

 We have never seen one which measured 

 more than six feet in diameter, and the pop- 

 ular story that small boys can stand upon 

 them is also an absurdity. The leaves are 

 very strong, and the under side is a marvel 

 of intricate net-work. We have often seen 

 large water-birds walking on them, but if a 

 small boy should try the experiment, ho 

 would have an immediate opportunity of ac- 

 quiring an intimate knowledge of the roots 

 of the pla nt. 



Every part' of the plant, except the surface 

 of the leaves and the petals of the flowers, is 

 covered with firm, sharp spines, and gather- 

 ing the flowers is attended with no little 

 difficulty. 



We have found flowers every month in 

 the year, but usually 

 more abundantly 

 from November to 

 April. The flowers 

 open at sunset, clos- 

 ing by day, and the 

 first night are pure 

 white ; the second, 

 rose colored, and the 

 third, deep crimson, 

 after which the flow- 

 er-stalk sinks to the 

 bottom to mature the 

 seed. The perfume, 

 which is exquisite, 

 and more powerful 

 on the first than on 

 any succeeding night, 

 is emitted in puffs at 

 intervals of from five 

 to fifteen minutes. 

 Never shall we for- 

 get a sail down the 

 Amazon with which 

 the Victoria Regia was 

 intimately a s s o c i - 

 ated. We had been 

 wandering all day in 

 the "bargia" land, and toward evening had 

 come upon a little lake full of these Lilies. 

 The pure white buds were just opening, and our 

 Indian boys went to the house loaded down 

 with the flowers. There we found the good 

 pddre of the village, one of whose country- 

 houses it was, awaiting us, and a dinner of fish, 

 turtle, wild ducks, fruits, and other good things 

 prepared. We arranged the Lilies in calabash- 

 es, filling all the center of the great table, and 

 they opened while we dined. Afterward we 

 placed them all in the bow of the canoe ; the 

 sun had set, the short tropical twilight passed ; 

 then uprose the great moon, flooding the 

 scene with light more glorious than that of 

 day ; borne by the swift current, we floated 

 for hours down the river, the whole air filled 

 with the fragrance of the Lilies. Can such a 

 night ever be forgotten ? 



Sub-Tropical Plan ts— properly planted and 

 grouped on the lawn — produce a beautiful 

 effect. Ricinus, Cannas, Colocasias, Pam- 

 pas Grass, some Ferns, arranged so that 

 the tallest-growing kinds occupy the center 

 or background, and the whole interspersed 

 with Gladiolus, cannot fail to give satis- 

 faction. 



