194 
STOVE AND GREENHOUSE AQUATICS. 
flower, — perhaps — and then sink again into 
their annual repose. 
When the practice of growing them among 
other plants is adopted, they are planted in 
pans or tubs of suitable size, in proper soil, 
the vessels being supplied with water as may 
be necessary, and set either in the stove or 
greenhouse, according as the plants may indi- 
vidually require more or less of heat. The 
stove species, which mostly require the tem- 
perature of the water to be raised, should be 
placed over the flues, pipes, or other heating 
apparatus. 
It will not be necessary further to enlarge on 
the culture under this head, as the notes which 
occur in a subsequent part of this article, in 
reference to each genus, will supply what other 
information may be requisite. 
By far the most complete mode of culture 
is, however, to devote separate structures to 
this particular class of plants, perhaps includ- 
ing some that will bear the same general 
treatment. These structures may be of any 
size that may be determined as suitable to the 
extent of the collection of plants which it is 
intended to cultivate ; and although, as just 
remarked, they may not necessarily be entirely 
occupied with water plants; yet, for the sake 
of maintaining the feature of a collection of 
aquatics, the latter should predominate. Thus, 
the side benches might be occupied with 
a variety of plants not strictly aquatic, but 
which grow in wet boggy places, and, con- 
sequently, would thrive in the moist atmo- 
sphere that would of necessity be kept up. 
The annexed sketch represents a simple, 
though convenient, as well as appropriate, 
house for these plants. The centre should be 
occupied by a tank as large as the space would 
admit, to contain the larger growing plants ; 
in fact, such a tank would take the bulk of 
the collection. It should be elevated about a 
foot above the floor, so that the water may be 
sufficiently under the eye to show the smaller 
plants to advantage, while the larger ones are 
brought nearer the level of the eye. The 
water in this tank should be kept at a tempe- 
rature of from 70 to 80 degrees, by means of 
a hot water pipe passing through it, the higher 
temperature being most proper for the period 
of vigorous growth. The bottom of this tank 
should communicate with a drain, so that it 
might be partially or entirely emptied when 
necessary. A walk should pass entirely 
around this tank, of sufficient width to admit 
of ladies passing without inconveniencing their 
dresses; for very much of the enjoyment of 
flowers, as well as of other sights, depends on 
the comfort and facility with which they may 
be inspected ; and no lady would care to pass 
round a narrow confined passage, where her 
dress would be liable to wipe the damp side- 
wall of the tank ; this may appear a trifling 
thing to notice in this place, but it is certainly 
of more importance than at first sight seems 
to attach to it. The path may be of stone, 
slate, grave!, or it may be of lattice work ; the 
latter is ever preferable, as it admits of keep- 
ing the floor quite moist, without having a wet 
surface to walk on ; however, this may be 
regulated entirely by choice. The sides of 
the house, as well as the ends, should be occu- 
pied by stone benches, made so as to hold six 
or eight inches of water, also warmed by 
means of a pipe passing along them ; in this 
water, the smaller and more delicate aquatic 
plants, being planted in pots or pans, should 
be set, either entirely immersed, or partially 
elevated, so as to suit their respective wants ; 
and almost entirely elevated above its surface 
may be set the pans or pots containing such 
bog or swamp plants as may not require to be 
actually placed in the water, but which are 
benefited by being just so placed, as that 
their roots may obtain a constant supply of 
moisture by capillary attraction. These 
benches ought to be divided into compart- 
ments, so that some parts may, if requisite, be 
kept dry, to afford standing room for any 
plants which the atmospheric conditions of 
this house may be suitable for, but which do 
not require to be quite so bountifully supplied 
with moisture at the root. The atmospheric 
temperature of the house may be kept up by 
means of hot water pipes ; what that tempe- 
rature should be is only to be determined 
when the class of plants to be cultivated has 
been definitively settled ; thus, if the stove 
