The sun., 1901-07-28
VICTORIA REGIA
AND THE LILY POND.


The, whole lily pond doesn't get so big
for the other ten aristo Gratis to gossip about
Altogether there are twelve different species
| In the large pond. One Of these 10 tn" real
| original Victoria Regia Just as she grows
upon her native ponds in Africa, Another
" q hybrid OF the Victoria Regia crossed
the gardeners know what. And so the
/ rest OF the lilies can turn up their noses
| at one at least Of the queens.
A little later, when the great lily leaves
shall have covered more Of the surface
Of the pond. one won't be able to see, az
crossing and encircling the pond: These
are the gentle coaxers without which the
| aristocrats would never consent to blossom.
| By running steam through these pipes
| the temperature Of the water 10 kept at
between IS and 90 degrees. The rare Lilies
| Fisher, their guardian. takes the tempera-
ture of the water as carefully as II II were
ath for an invalid.
Since the first OF June Mr.. Fisher has
been coddling his twelve rare lilies. They
came to him there from the Philadelphia
! gardeners above mentioned, a firm which
makes a specially Of water lilies. All OF
' these rare varieties are raised In this coun-
/ try from the seed They are jollied along
| In tanks for about three months before
| they are sent out. That makes those at
Prospect Park almost five months old. yet
between providing heated tank for nursing
them through their infancy and steam
heated pond for them TO occupy. at ma
turity, the raising OF rare water lilies is no
mean task.
The Victoria rsga has some interesting
| it unfurfs lie fat upon the surface OF the
water. After that the leaves are larger and
are turned up into sharply erect rim
around the edge, like some queer sort OF
cake tin The genuine Victoria at the
park will have leaves five feet IN diameter
the rim around the edge will sit up to
When the leaves first come to the surface
| thew look a good deal like n small green
hedgehog, or, rather. like two hedgehogs
| curled up with their toes together. Little
| by little the hedgehogs unroll outward.
their green spines going down into the water
and serving TO steady the leaf and TO supply
| II with moisture. At present the real Vic
| toria regia g leaves have not begun to- turn
up around the edges and are dark red
in color. The leaves OF the hybrid are
sitting up az peri az anything anu "'e !"
The blossoms are caprlcious as well as
the leaves. In the first place. the Victoria
bud II round whereas the other aristocrats
have long and pointed buds. The VIC
toria opens at night and closes In the morn.
night 1t IL white. the second night II " pink.
and the third night-the third night II II
gone. At any rate, its beauty is gone. IL
| has faded and withered. Great bursts OF
beauty-it Is ten inches In diameter--the
blossom opens twice and then closes forever.
| None of the aristoCrats has blossoms
which live longer than three nights, and
most Of them are good for only two. With
| one or two exceptions they are night
,,loomers. too, but the Park authorities have
provided for this popularity. Several
powerful arc lights are hung from brackets
projecting over the pond. II looks as II
the lights were leaning over and ,peering
down at the blossoms. Next month. when
the aristocrats are really showing on,
crowds will go to see them. BY the mid
die Of August there will be between rs
and 100 blossoms out at one time. One
pant alone will sometimes have dozen
blossoms. Even the Victoria has eight or
ten sometimes. When they are fairly
started they 20 on blooming until frost, the
water being always kept at the same high
temperature.
lilies. one called the Zdnsibariensa from
the place OF its nativity, Another Ia the
William Stone, with peculiar ruffled edges
| 10 its leaves The OMdrdrid IL a fine
deep pink lily almost as large a. the Vic
toria. Ali OF these have large placid leaves.
which are excellent summing spots for the
frogs kept as scavengers In the pool. Sew
eral frogs can be seen at time doing
comfortably upon the idly rocking lily pads
Raising the lilies Ia a work OF care, and
expense. II anybody Is looking for a
water plant which Will ask nothing but a
chance TO grow. let him try the water hya-
cinth. There Is a fringe Of these plants
around the lily pond, heir clusters Of fine
blue flowers mingling with the green fringe
| OF the Egyptian papyrus which bends over
them. The water hyacinth invaded the
james River once and that sturdy stream
has had to fight for its life ever since. In
tho lily pond the water hyacinth Is allowed
to grow only week; then the gardener
pulls out the old roots and plants, takes
one shoot and sticks 1t into the mud.
week later that shoot has grown so far
and put out 30 many new shoots that an
other cleaning out $ necessary. u short
of money and time try water hyacinths.
In the large lake not far from the ponds
the Vow lotus grows. Tie ponds arc
not deep enough for this lily which likes
to send its stems up six feet or more tC
find the air
The ordinary lover Of flowers may think
oil this is pretty discouraging for the pri-
vate grower. As a general thing he has
no steam-heated ponds for summer, even
| IL he can manage tank or two In the win
ter. Furthermore he doesn't want "a
toll and coax for five months before hi
gets a good showing Of blossoms.
rs a matter OF fact, very Very few person:
do undertake 10 grow water lilies. There
l. an exceptional man in Brooklyn who
does raise them and for his own pleas.
ure only This II MIR McFlvery, who lives
In q quaint old-fashioned house at thu
corner of Flatbush avenue and Fenimor,
street. The old whito house, turning IL
shoulder TO the street. has the entrance
at the side, breaking through a great mas
OF blooming phoS.
The whole house Ia surrounded by q rio
Of flowers but the lily ponds are at the back
, under the Jealous eve OF the man who lovet
! them. One Of the ponds is Allied with pini
lotus. The great cool leaves make a per
feet thickst. six feet In height. above "