STOVE AND GREENHOUSE AQUATICS. 
191 
CULTURE OF STOVE AND GREENHOUSE AQUATIC PLANTS. 
How seldom do we meet with an aquarium, 
that is, a horticultural structure devoted princi- 
pally, if not exclusively, to the growth of 
aquatic plants! And yet this cannot be be- 
cause such plants are less beautiful than 
•others, for they comprise some of nature's 
choicest subjects ; neither can it be that there 
is any insuperable barrier as respects the faci- 
lity with which they may be cultivated, for 
there are many plants of far more difficult 
culture brought to the very zenith of perfec- 
tion. Probably the cause is, that an aquarium 
is too monotonous, too unmanageable ; in 
other words, there may be too much difficulty 
in keeping up that variety and change which 
it is possible to secure with other classes of 
plants. However this may be, nothing can 
be more certain than this, that aquatic plants 
are not of difficult culture, whatever difficulty 
48. 
there may be in managing to keep up a con- 
tinual succession of bloom from them alone. 
There are two ways in which aquatic plants 
are, and may be, grown. The one is in 
structures or houses, devoted to them solely, 
or, at least, chiefly. The other is to grow 
them in tubs, pans, or pots, proportioned to 
their size, and set in some appropriate struc- 
ture according to the temperature they require. 
The latter plan is most generally adopted, 
because then a separate house is not required; 
and they are more readily put away during 
their dormant season. This plan, however, 
does nothing towards extending the culture of 
these plants, by endeavouring to overcome the 
supposed difficulties of exciting continued 
interest by them alone, inasmuch as the plants 
are just set to grow once a year according to 
their nature and habits, and they grow, and 
o 
