THE ELOBAL MAGAZINE. 



border, so as to afford the necessary means of sup- 

 plying them with a requisite amount of moisture. I 

 have seen this plan adopted in several cases, and 

 most interesting and surprising effects may be obtained 

 in heated houses by these or similar means. 



Out-door tanks, streams, ponds, or basins may be 

 rendered doubly attractive by the addition of white 

 Water Lilies, Aponogeton, and Bichardia eethiopica ; 

 while their moist, spongy margins may be judiciously 

 planted with Agapanthus umbellatus, Arundo donax, 

 or the hardier Arundinarias and Bamboos. Even the 

 humblest window-garden need not be less ornamental 

 or pleasing on account of the absence of aquatics when 

 such a lovely plant as the Hawthorn-scented Apono- 

 geton may be grown and bloomed all through the 

 autumn and winter in an inverted bell glass or 

 ordinary parlour aquarium. There are many of our 

 commonest decorative plants which double or treble 

 their vigour when grown as aquatics ; and this is 

 especially the case with the Cyprus alternifolius, 

 C. laxus, and the white-spathed Lily of the Nile 

 (Bichardia). The golden-flowered Limnocharis Hum- 

 boldtii blooms freely every summer in the open air, 

 planted in a shallow tank in the J ardin des Plantes, 

 and succeeds perfectly in a sunny greenhouse in this 

 country. The fresh green water-fern, Ceratopteris 

 thalictroides, also grows well in a pot plunged in a 

 pan full of water. 



Apart altogether, however, from the beauty and 

 interest of aquatic vegetation in our plant-houses, 

 the introduction of water-tanks influences the climate 

 of such structures to a wonderful extent by keeping 

 them constantly in a state of genial humidity ; indeed, 

 the introduction of water-vegetation in the manner 

 above suggested is indirectly a saving of labour in 

 other ways, and is certainly worth more general 

 adoption. Between the two extremes of a gigantic 

 and expensive aquarium for the great Victoria Lily 

 and the modest inverted bell-glass, there are hundreds 

 of intermediate means of growing aquatic plants which 

 deserve the attention of all amateurs and gardeners. 



The following list of aquatic plants may be useful 

 to some in making selections : — Nymphrea pygmrea, 

 white ; N. coerulea, blue ; N. alba, white ; N. odorata, 

 Avhite ; N. rosea, bright rose ; N. rubra, rosy 

 crimson ; Pistia stratiotes, or Water Lettuce, bright 

 green tufted foliage ; Vallisneria spiralis, bright 

 green leaves and curious spiral foliage, flowering 

 stems ; Nelumbium speciosum, or Sacred Bean of 

 the East, bright rosy flowers and large peltate 

 borne on long stalks, which give them the appear- 

 ance of so many umbrellas ; Cyperus alternifolius, 

 Umbrella Sedge of Madagascar ; Ceratopteris thalic- 



troides, Aquatic or Water Pern ; Limnocharis Hum- 

 boldtii, yellow ; Thalia ' dealbata, fine glaucous 

 foliage ; Aponogeton distachyon, white ; and Bichardia 

 ajthiopica, white Trumpet Lily, perfectly hardy if 

 plunged one foot or ten inches below the surface, so as 

 to guard against frost. 



CABNATIONS AND PICOTEES. 



The following excellent notes on the cultivation of 

 these plants is extracted from an old treatise on the 

 Cultivation of the Carnation and Picotee. Take, says 

 the anonymous author, any convenient quantity of 

 turf, three or four inches thick, from an upland pasture, 

 which is the least difficult to procure when such a field 

 happens to be under the operation of the plough ; lay 

 it together in a square flat top, heap for two or three 

 months with an equal quantity in bulk of rotten 

 stable dung regularly mixed with it, and after that 

 time let it be cut down in thin slices, well 

 chipped with a spade, frequently turned over, 

 and in due time exposed as much as possible to 

 sweeten by the frost, but in open weather always left 

 on a ridge to throw off superfluous wet, till it has 

 become a regular heap of mould of near twelve months' 

 standing, or until both dung and turf are sufficiently 

 decomposed as to readily run and rub through your 

 inch riddle. If you find it too light and sandy, there 

 must be a sufficient quantity of sal marl, or, in the 

 absence of that, some stiffish loam, mixed and well 

 incorporated with it, to make it altogether rather of 

 an adhesive quality. This will suit almost every 

 kind of florists' flowers and herbaceous plants. 



PICOTEES. 



In the proper cultivation of Picotees, writes Mr. 

 Turner of Slough, great attention is necessary at 

 all times so that the plants may not get too dry. 

 They should be kept moderately moist, and under 

 these circumstances young plants will get well esta- 

 blished before the winter. Early in March, if favour- 

 able weather, they may be planted out or repotted 

 into their blooming-pots. The soil most suitable for 

 Picotees is three parts good turfy loam and one part 

 good rotten manure with a little coarse sand. After 

 they are potted they should be placed in an open 

 place, kept properly watered, and clear from attacks 

 of green fly. When the pods begin to burst they 

 should be placed in a cool greenhouse, and, if shaded 

 from the sun with abundance of air, they will flower 

 in a much finer way, and last for a much longer time, 

 than if exposed to the vicissitudes of the weather. 



