2 
Lily Park, George B. Moulder, Proprietor, Smith’s Grove, Ky. 
Selection of Varieties. 
My first general instruction in the selection of Water Billies 
is, if you contemplate planting and are not familiar with the 
various sorts, consult some one who is. Consider the location, 
size of basin and temperature of the water; whether ornamen¬ 
tal or economical effect is wanted ; if ornamental, whether 
specimen plants or general effect is desired, and the amount of 
time and money you wish to invest in Water Lilies. In tubs 
Water Hyacinths, Water Poppy, Aponogeton Thalias, the va¬ 
rious grasses, etc., do finely. Of the hardy Nympheeas, the 
Pygmaea and Laydekeri varieties stand first. Most all the 
Odoratas can be broughtont to satisfaction in tubs. The lotus 
makes a most satisfactory tub plant. Of the tender sorts, N. 
Mexicana, flava and Gracillis arc the best. The Zanzibar va¬ 
rieties, Scutifolia, Devoniensis and Dentata may be “dwarfed” 
in tubs. 
In a Water Lily tank, without artificial heat, in open air in 
this latitude, all the tropical Water Lilies, including the Vic¬ 
torias, may, after June 1st, be planted out with safety and suc¬ 
cess, and they will flower well. Strong, healthy plants are the 
chief requisite. All kinds of hardy lilies do well in tanks of 
proper dimensions. 
In natural ponds all hardy Water Lilies will thrive and en¬ 
dure the winter anywhere in the United States. If the water 
is warm most all kinds of tropical Water Lilies can be grown 
with success in open ponds. Lotuses do well in swamps and 
sloughs, where the soil is barely covered with water. 
Soil for Aquatics. 
All sorts of water plants are heavy feeders, and will show 
the effects of starvation from poor soil as readily as they will 
from a scant supply of water. 
A peculiar kind of mud is not required to grow aquatic 
plants. Any ordinary soil from the garden, where there is not 
too much sand or gravel, in which is incorporated an abun¬ 
dance of well rotted manure, will supply their every need. 
The only point that should be emphasized is that the manure 
and leaf mould used in the mixture be thoroughly rotted, es¬ 
pecially when used in tubs or tanks. 
In natural ponds and streams the soil will not need any arti¬ 
ficial preparation unless there is a super-abundance of rock 
or sand. 
Planting. 
Hardy Water Lilies may be put out any time the water is 
warm enough to wade in—spring being preferable. The ten¬ 
der varieties should be kept in the greenhouse until the 
weather is settled. The depth of the soil and water in which 
lilies are planted must be regulated by the size of the roots or 
plants. No lily should be planted permanently in water less 
than 10 inches or more than 4 feet deep. A trench should be 
made in the mud the same length of the root to be planted and 
the root laid in horizontally , not set up endwise, and then gently 
covered. One cannot handle a Water Lily root too tenderly; 
to bruise or break one, especially a lotus, often proves fatal. 
Where the water is subject to great rise and fall or when it is 
necessary to move the lilies at any time it is preferable to 
plant them in boxes of soil and sink them in the water. 
Insects and Remedies. 
Aquatics have no diseases, but are sometimes bothered by 
insects. Beware of muskrats, crawfish and turtles. The most 
common insect enemies of aquatics are the green and black 
aphides, which may be easily overcome by any of the insecti¬ 
cides recommended for their destruction on greenhouse plants, 
or by being washed off of the leaves to the surface of the wa¬ 
ter where fish will pick them up. If water snails become too 
numerous in tubs or tanks the introduction of fish will destroy 
thelarvea and hand picking will have to be resorted to to gather 
the mature snails. The greatest enemy of the lotus is the leaf 
roller (Botis nelumbiis), which is first detected as a little 
white, active maggot, making a web and rolling himself up in 
the margins of the leaves. Later it finds the leaf stalk and 
bores a hole down through the center to the root, which work 
wilts and kills the leaf—the only material damage done. This 
pest occurs only once in every three or four years, and the 
only effectual remedy is hand picking and destroying them on 
first appearance. 
Wintering. 
Tubs with lilies growing in them should, on approach of 
frost, have the water poured off and be taken to the cellar, or 
otherwise prevented from freezing. The soil should not be al¬ 
lowed to become entirely dry, and if there are any tropical 
lilies in it they should be taken to warmer quarters. Boxes in 
tanks or ponds, where the water will freeze to the bottom, 
should be treated likewise, but the lilies classed as hardy and 
planted in natural ponds will not need artificial protection. 
Dormant roots of tropical Water Lilies should be kept over 
in wet sand at a temperature of fifty degrees. If desired to be 
kept growing and blooming the temperature of the house 
should be kept at sixty-five or seventy degrees. Victorias are 
annuals, and some of the other tropical sorts will perish if an 
attempt is made to dry them off over winter. 
the \ ICTORI AS AND OTHER TROPICAL LILIES. 
