Water-Lilies aiul tlieir Culture. 
One of the most attractive features of a 
landscape is a water surface. Landscape 
gaideners go to much expense when laying 
out grounds to get some water into a con¬ 
spicuous part of them. Why should not 
farmers, who have freely given to them by 
nature every opportunity of embellishing 
their homes, enjoy at the cost of a little 
labor the advantages and pleasures which 
their richer neighbors enjoy at a large cost, 
and on account of which some people, who 
could themselves possess the same, envy 
them. And as land is far more pleasing 
and enjoyable when covered with flowers, 
so the surface of the water is improved and 
beautified by being covered with fragrant 
and beautiful water-lilies, which may be 
grown so easily. 
The commonest water-lily is our native 
American species, JVymphcea odorata. Its 
lovely white, wax-like flowers arid sweet 
odor always make it at'ractive, and it is 
worthy a place in every garden, which, 
however poor, may have its half-barrel 
sunk in the soil of a grass-plot, or a stone- 
cemented pit in which a few roots may be 
planted. It does best in a pond or in the 
almost-still bend of a slow-running stream, 
in the mud of which a few roots may be 
pushed down to a depth of six inches. 
Where the mud is rich these flowers grow 
six inches across and the leaves thirteen 
inches. The florists sell these roots for 40 
cents each or $3 a dozen. A variety of t his 
lily producing flowers only or 2 inches in 
diameter can be procured. A pink water- 
lily is found at Cape Cod, but it is rare ex¬ 
cepting where it is cultivated. It is of a 
deep pink or rose color, has flowers larger 
than the white variety, and possesses a 
most delicious fragrance. The flowers 
often sell for 25 cents each, and for double 
as much at the popular watering-places and 
in the cities. The roots are scarce and cost 
several dollars each. Another pure white 
lily is Nymphcea tvberosa , which has flow¬ 
ers at times seven inches in diameter, with 
a sweet ripe-apple odor. This kind costs 
75 cents a root. A most beautiful and de¬ 
liciously fragrant species is the yellow 
water-lily, Nymphcea Jfava. The flowers 
are of a bright golden-yellow and are 
scented like the blossoms of the locust tree. 
This variety requires a warm, sunny corner 
of the pond. The roots cost 50 cents each. 
A pigmy lily is the dwarf Chinese water- 
lily, Nymphcea pygmeea. very sweetly odor¬ 
ous, but with flowers no larger than half a 
dollar, which open at noon and close at 
night. There are some other kinds having 
white and pink flowers which are natives 
of England. 
The queen of the lily pond is Nelumbium 
speciosum. This beautiful plant is the lo¬ 
tus of Egypt and India, and the seed of it 
is the sacred bean. It is, however, entirely 
hardy and produces its leaves 30 inches 
across. Its buds are at first creamy white 
and bright rose in color, and in form like 
enormous tea-rose buds, and then gradually 
expand like a tulip, until at maturity they 
spread to a width of 12 or 13 inches, and 
diffuse their delightful fragrance far and 
wide. Nelumbium leteuni , or the yellow 
lotus, is a native plant, not equal in beauty 
to the speciosum , but a noble ornament to 
the pond, with its scarcely smaller leaves 
and its hundreds of buds and a score of 
open flowers, all exhibited at the same time. 
The flowers are of a sulphur yellow color 
and as large as a quart bowl. Several 
other varieties of foreign nelumbiums are 
cultivated, which have beautifully colored 
flowers. There are many other desirable 
aquatic plants described in the catalogues 
of the florists who make this class of plants 
a special culture, but space is inadequate 
to mention them. ‘ A few of them, selected 
according to the means and desires of the 
owner of a pond, would certainly add a 
charm to any country home which would 
be all the more pleasing because of its rar¬ 
ity. Even one native lily would be 2a 
source of pleasure, and would be a begin¬ 
ning which would lead to further progress 
in this delightful culture.— Weekly Times . 
Medicine has cost the world more than 
bread, and has killed more than it has 
cured. 
Laziness is a good deal like money, the 
more a man has of it the more he seems to 
want. 
