The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-23
81 A MONTH.

and repose than the sight Of one OF
| these lilies In its home, but one who
has a talent for that sort of thing NAV
have pasSable idea OF il BY looking st
\ those IN the Phipps conservatory as
/ they bask in the sun. the great leaves
| spread motionless on the calm water.
| Il the weight were only distributed
rightly you might set your baby on
one of those leaves, and without dan
ger of a ducking unless he rolled over
/ board. But in well-developed leaf
/ he need not, for it has rim three or
four inches high. That is why the
/ plant has sometimes been called the
water platter or water tray. Both
/ these words suggest something 10 eat,
/ and remind one that another name is
water maize, because the seeds are ed
[ IDLE. Those Americans near the egua-
| tor not having any energy To spend IN
raising maize, picked the seeds of the
/ Victoria and roasted them, and posi-
| bly, boiled them, as they were like peas.
| The seeds attract Toe water fowl. which
explains the fact that often in pictures
of the Victoria in its native state a
long-legged and long-billed bird Is seen
standing on one OF its leaves.
The present is good time to study
the life of the plant. as it may be seen
in all stages of Development II viii
be amusing, and ought TO be suggest
i've, 10 note the similarity of the mark
ing of the leaf and the skin of the
young alligator which dozes in the
| ha lv,, 10
with the deep red veins seems To show
some obscure relationship with the al
ligator. But it is not relationship
that will last; those square elevations
between the depressed veins viii dis
appear shortly, as may be learned from
the larger leaf near, with the smooth
( dark green surface. If one could get
at its other side he would probably
find il pink and all the veins and stalk
on that side armed with spines. These
are its means of defense. IL has 70
fight enemies in the water as other
plants have TO fight them on land.
The flowers of the Victoria are com
ing ont now and will continue at II,
making a display all summer-from
pure white to pink and carmine and
crimson, from the soft blue of the sky
10 deep purple, this last pre-eminently
the royal color. In an adjoining room
may be seen the exquisite flower OF the
Australian water lily, which does not
attain 10 the magnifcence Of leaf
which distinguishes the American
plant.
The Greeks, thanks 10 their fine
90 oil q har
beautiful superstitions, and 50 they dcd-
icated the water lilies 10 the nymphs.
a nymph was ~ inferior divinity, in
the form of a lovely maiden, eternally
young, and a tutelary spirit OF some To-
calitv or of some tribe or family. Her
existence depended upon the existence
of that with which she was identified.
She and her companions went IN the
train of higher divinities, and had the
gifts of poesy and prophecy. in the
scientific nomenclature of the lilies IS
the name Castalia, and why not? 1.-THE
foot of Mt. Parnassus, near the temple
Of Apollo, at Delphi, was the Castaliau
fountain, sacred TO Apollo and the
Muses., and in which the prieste>ses
used 10 battle before she gave voice 20
the oracles- Is not the poet prophet
Of old his inspiration was from the
fountain of Castalia, named in remem-
brance of the daughter OF Achelous,
who threw herself into IL 20 escape
Apollo. whose manners 70 the fair ones
were not the best. What world Of
poetic thought and feeling opens IN
the presence Of the water lily. What
world of romance clusters about IL, for
the water lily Is everywhere IA some Of
its species or genera OF trioe, or what
ever the word should be. The Alaskan
lover may pluck it for the maiden at
his side as they stroll around Sitks,
and the pSragusvsn a. ne pants under
his South American sun. Like poetry
and passion, il has all lands for It's
own