294 
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
tlie name of Water-chestnuts, are eatable. It is sufficient to 
throw them into the water in spring, when they will make a 
good display without further trouble. Stratiotes aloides also 
forms very graceful groups of rosettes, which are like real Aloes. 
The Aponogetons, with their oblong floating leaves, furnish 
throughout the year a constant succession of lovely waxen and 
sweet-smelling flowers, and they are the more worthy of taking 
a place beside the Water-lilies, and of being particularly recom¬ 
mended to aquatieulturists, as they have produced some splendid 
varieties, with flowers and leaves brightly tinged with pink and 
carmine, and much larger than those of the original type. These 
charming varieties, not yet in commerce, are the object of the 
greatest care at Temple-sur-Lot, and are destined by their hardi¬ 
ness, which will allow them to grow without protection in 
England, to play a prominent part amongst water plants from 
the double point of view of the decoration of aquaria and for a 
trade in cut flowers. It is to be noted that the Aponogeton is 
the plant of all others for growing in the running water of 
springs, where it prospers to advantage, and flowers most freely 
and without ceasing. 
The propagation of hybrid Water-lilies does not differ from 
that of the original species, and is effected for the greater 
number of varieties by the pulling to pieces of their stumps and 
by the detachment of their tubers. Some individual plants, such 
as N. Laydekeri rosea, do not give any offshoots, but this case 
is a rare exception. Others bear seed, but the resulting plants 
have always a tendency to degenerate and to revert to the 
original type. To be certain of keeping the exact peculiarities of 
each variety it is much better to have recourse to increasing 
them by the division of their stumps. 
The planting of them can be carried on all through the 
spring and summer, and presents no difficulty, as it only consists 
in fixing them in the earth at the bottom of the basins. At 
the same time it is as well to notice that when it is necessary 
to alter entirely the planting of aquaria, it is better to under¬ 
take it in good time, i.e. in April or May, so as not to keep 
back the time of flowering too much. 
If you wish to obtain new varieties you must have recourse 
to seed and to hybridisation. The method of sowing is quite 
simple. It is only necessary to place the seeds in shallow 
