WATER LILIES FOR THE AMATEUR.
In the March Home and Flowers, Eben E. Rexford, the floral editor, tells how amateurs may, at small expense, cultivate water lilies at home. The cultivation of water lilies in tubs is very simple. A wooden tank similar to those used in cisterns, only much shallower, is an ideal receptacle for them if six or eight feet wide. An oil barrel sawed in half makes two good tubs for the smaller sorts. If such a barrel is used, burn it out well before putting any plants in it, to prevent possible injury from the oil which has penetrated the wood. Fill the tub two-thirds full of good garden soil, or mucky matter obtained from ponds. Plant the roots of your lilies in it, covering them to the depth of about two inches. Then fill the tub with water. It should be placed in a warm and sunny location. The appearance of a tub made from a barrel can be greatly improved by giving it a coat of paint of some neutral color. I would advise sinking all tubs in the ground, however, if it can be done, as the effect will be much better.