PARK AND CC/nCTCRY 
277 
is of Barre and Quincy granite and was placed there 
by the people of the city and vicinity. 
There is only one hedge and three copings 
about the lots left, and the walks and paths are 
level, the lawn idea controlling. On the high 
ground is a drilled well and wind pump and tank. 
A strong unanimity of feeling exists toward the 
improvement and care of the cemetery, the ladies 
taking an active part, and Mr. C. D. Phipps, the 
superintendent, is cordially encouraged by those 
whose interests he serves. The opening illustration 
shows the superintendents house. 
The Lily Pond. 
A casual glance at a Lily pond reveals two- well- 
defined characteristics: Plants with foliage and 
flowers standing far above the water, and those 
with their leaves and pads afloat on its surface. 
Chief among the first-class is the “ Lotus,” whose 
grandeur and beauty defy alike the powers of the 
pen and the brush. Its massive pea-green foliage 
of peltate leaves, resembling inverted umbrellas, 
stands six to eight feet above the water, each with 
a fairy lakelet of molten silver dreaming in its 
bosom. Surmounting the wilderness of green, the 
individual flowers arise like the gorgeous banners 
of the Orient. 
Representing the second-class is the “Water 
Lily” proper, with its cordate and bronze-green 
foliage, interspersed with thousands of red, white 
and yellow blooms, either resting on the water or 
peeping like white kittens from the masses of tend- 
er foliage. Intermediate between these and the 
Lotus, Nymphsea superba asserts imperial suprem- 
acy, its foliage either vibrating a foot in the air or 
floating on the water like giantpie-pans, with its huge 
flowers, here like hemispheres of snow, launching 
their fairy canoe petals on the water, or there as- 
suming a spherical form and reaching up above the 
tallest leaves, as if to clasp hands with the lordly 
Lotus. 
Now we pass to the tender varieties, with their 
gently ruffled leaves, lying so flat on the water as 
to appear like pencil stains, with their red, white 
and blue flowers rising several inches above, to 
display their exotic riches. But chief among them, 
and undisputed mistresses of the floral kingdom, 
are the Victorias, with their enormous variable 
flowers, rocking and blushing on the gentle waves 
like veritable Amazons, and their gigantic leaves 
with upturned edges, any of which is large enough 
to sustain a miniature aquatic garden. 
But a general view of the pond does not satisfy 
our longings. We draw near to touch and embrace, 
to acquaint ourselves with their singular habit. The 
leaves of the Lotus are strong and flexible. Water 
thrown against them does not adhere, but glances 
off instantly. The uprights will hold a pint or more 
of water, and when overloaded the stems deflect, 
turning the water out, and at once resume their 
normal position. During a shower they may be 
heard pouring out their great bowls of water in 
every direction. The foliage of the Nymphasas is 
more flimsy, the surface appearing clammy or oily, 
andjwater poured on the leaves trickles off reluct- 
antly. The root formations are equally varied. The 
smooth tuber of the Lotus, the nut-like offshoots 
of Devoniensis, and the thick, creeping rhizomes of 
Candidissima are quite unlike, and afford interesting 
study. But while the foliage and roots show such 
a diversity of forms, the flowers of all are wonder- 
fully alike in their general outline. The petals of 
all are keel or canoe shaped, which enables them 
to ride the waves in a most novel and suggestive 
manner. The stamens are numerous, filiform, and 
quiver above the pistil with every motion of the 
flower. The petals of the Lotus are deciduous; 
those of all other species are persistent. The whole 
family of day bloomers open early in the morning 
and close in the afternoon. The night bloomers 
open about 8 o’clock in the evening, and close 
about 10 o’clock in the morning. The flowers of 
the Pontederias and Limnocharis last but one day; 
those of the Victorias two days, and change from 
pure white to dark red. The Lotus opens four days, 
and fades from red or yellow to almost white. The 
Nymphaeas last from three to six days, according 
to the condition of the weather. The seeds of the 
Lotus ripen far above the water, in a torus resem- 
bling an inverted cone. The Nymphaeas close their 
petals firmly and drop beneath the water to ripen 
their seed, while N. superba and some few others 
curiously draw their seed pods into the mud by a 
spiral coiling of the flower stem. 
Now, let us add the living reality to the scene. 
Swarms of bees, butterflies and humming birds, 
regaling themselves on the exuding nectar; birds 
bathing in the water and sipping from the dainty 
lakelets on the foliage; the huge green frog bask- 
ing his uncouth and bloated ugliness on the floating 
leaves — and the picture is still incomplete! For, 
true to its placid beauty, the water intensifies the 
scene by portraying all these by inverted images, 
as if their antipodes had pierced the earth and of- 
fered their counterpart to glorify the American 
scene. Then we have it complete — the panorama 
that seizes alike the wonderment of the old fogy, 
who never sees the finest flowers and shrubbery of 
the yard and lawn, the admiration and praise of 
every lover of flowers, and makes a lasting impres- 
sion upon the mind of every visitor and passer-by. 
Smith’s Grove, Ky. George B. Moulder. 
