St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-12-06
GREAT WATER LILIES.
Reautiful Water Plants In Baltimoeo
Parks That Are Four zee"
Across on the Surface.

At the beginning of autumn nature
is at her best. There is wealth OF
foliage on the trees and all plants
have attained their mature tullness'
It is now that Baltimore's parks are
especially resplendent, while thelr
unique features are displaying their
phases of individuality, says tue BAL
timore Sun of recent date.
One such spot of especial beauty Is
in Clifton park. The view from the
driveway along where the old-tline
dollhouse used to stand, ana Wheie
the late Johns Hopkins used to raise
black Hamburg and other rare klnos
of dollhouse grapes, is charming. Inc
place mas probably no counterpart IL
any other public park in thus coun-
try.
The scene embraces the gardeners
cottage. nesting in one corner. Am
pelopsis Veitchii, or Boston ivy, as II
is sometimes called, fairly EMPOWERS
the cottage. For background there
are tail pyramidal cypress and mag
nolia trees to give prominence 10 Inc
Gothic house.
The old pear orchard, laid OF IN
SQUARES or blocks, divided by box
wood bordered gravelled walks lVes
only in memory now. superintendent
Flitton has at last got rid OF all the
gnarled old pear trees. The bordereo
walks are retained, and the space for-
merly occupied by the trees Is NO"
the home of various shrubs, roses
geran1ums and other flowers, grow
ing in garden styles-that u.s. IN .
sense, an educational picture for VS.
itors. S.
Such excellent specimens show the
results of careful cultivation. Inere
is also here thrifty nursery OF oecl-
duous and evergreen trees, mainly OF
the dwarf varieties-many OF when
later will add grace and beauty to
Clifton and other parks.
The view is most excellent. coun-
terpart of some old-tine English gar
den, ard the glimps above the Tree
tops Of the tower on the old mansion
of johns Hopkins enhances the com
parison.
The latest addition Superintendent
Flitton has made and, judging from
the great interest visitors are al
ready taking in it-one that Is de-
stined to become immensely popular
is a series of square or oblong
ponds for growing aquatic plants.
Though this is the first season, great
success has been attained with the
lilies.
The Victoria Regia lily, with its
large round leaves-some OF winch
measure four feet across-is a great
attraction. It has had several blooms,
which generally come out at night
and only last for a day or so.
The Dentata is the largest and best
of the whites, and is also q night
blooming variety. Tho flowers -
large, the buds we'll pointed on
strong stalks, and they open hori.
zontally. The leaves are deep green.
with :.errated edges. 1t is native of
Sierra Leone. The other varieties
are O'Marana Zanzibarensis, of q
deep. rich blue! Azurea and Rosea
and Pygmia, the last-named the
smallest water lily in cultivation. All
OF these are tropical varieties except
Pygmia, which is from China.
They are all treated as ANNALS ana
are raised from seed sown under glass
in February and planted in poneA
after the water becomes of the prop
er temperature from the suns heat,
which is near the latter part of June.
The present season it was necessa-
rily later. Mr.. Flitton said, owing to
the abnormally cool nights during
June. He says it is possible to keep
the roots of exotics, or. more properly.
tropical nympheas. through the win
ter in the greenhouses, but not the
Victoria Regia. This variety forms
neither bulbs nor rhizomes and can
not, therefore, be conveniently taken
up and cared for during winter.