274 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ December, 
AQUATICS.— Chapter VI. 
jN Nymphcea odorata we have a perfect miniature of the N. alba noticed in 
my last chapter (p. 204). Its flowers are white, about the size of a florin, 
and highly fragrant; and they usually appear about July or August. When 
cultivated in the open air the leaves average about 2 in. across, but when 
grown in the stove or greenhouse (as it often is, though perfectly hardy), the 
flowers will be 2 in. and the leaves 4 in. across, the latter generally of a reddish 
purple underneath. 
It is of all others the plant for small tanks or basins, requiring only a depth 
of from 6 in. to 9 in. of water for its perfect development. If planted in a pond it 
should be near the margin, and must not be planted more than a foot below the 
surface. It will also be advisable to introduce a few rough pieces of rock, so placed 
that the water can flow in and out, to separate it from the rest of the pond ; and 
also to lay a few pebbles over the surface of the soil, to keep that in its place. 
The native habitat of this desirable aquatic is in ponds and slow-flowing streams 
from u Canada to Carolina.” It is the most lovely of all the small-growing water 
plants, save and except that it has a rosy-cheeked cousin across the Atlantic, which 
when introduced from the Canadian Lakes, will become a formidable rival to it. 
Be it known therefore unto ye Englysshe that the Nymphcea odorata rosea does 
exist in those lakes, and when we get the two to flower side by side, one rose and the 
other white, both equally fragrant withal, and corresponding in size, it will be a 
sight to see, and would almost justify us if we were to adopt the old name for 
these flowers, viz., Water Roses, for thus they were termed in this country about 
the time, now nearly three centuries ago, that Prosper Alpinus wrote his work on 
w Egyptian Plants,” the hundred and thirty-six plates of which, containing the 
Nelumbium , Papyrus , &c., were cut in “ brasse.” The A. odorata occasionally 
ripens seed in the open air in this country, and young plants have been raised 
therefrom ; still it is slow to increase, and is therefore comparatively rare. 
When concluding my last chapter, I had intended to have followed it with 
some remarks on the blue and other stove Nymphaeas ; but as N. odorata remained 
unnoticed, and there are still some hardy sorts not touched upon, it was thought 
best to finish these before doing so. The other sorts will form subjects for future, 
and it may be interesting chapters. But now the wild ducks are beginning to 
hover above us, as if anxious to settle, and we are thereby reminded that it is 
time to get out of “ waterie places.”—W. Buckley, Tooting. 
HOW TO PROLONG THE STRAWBERRY CROP. 
rfAY I add a few to the list of Strawberries for autumn fruiting? The 
IL very best with me is Patrick’s Seedling, which produces a good crop, and 
the flavour and appearance are both good. The next best as to pro¬ 
ductiveness, is one of which I have lost the name ; it is a very distinct 
