IVISION OF FISHES
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DENOMINATIVE CHARACTER-
ISTICS OF FRESH WATER
FISHES.

VI.

THE SUCKERS.
(Catostomidae. )

These fish, though forming a distinct
family, are very closely related to the
carp-family, and with two or three ex-
ceptions that are found in China and
Japan, are exclusively of American na-
tivity.

The head is naked ; the mouth, which
is underneath, is toothless. The lips
are fleshy, extremely protractive, and
when fully produced form a_ tube;
through this the fish ‘‘ sucks” its food,
hence the name for the family. The
mouth is not supphed with barbles.
The seales upon the body are of uniform
size. The dorsal fin is short in some spe-
cies, while in others it extends from the
middle of the body almost to-the tail,
but in all cases it consists of soft rays.
The caudal fin (tail) is sightly forked.
The air bladder is divided in two, and
in some species three parts. Their
spawning season is in the spring of the
year.

THE WHITE SUCKER.
(Catostomus teres.)

This is the most common species,
being found in the creeks, rivers and
lakes, all over the United States, though
it is nowhere esteemed as a food fish, the
flesh being without flavor and literally
filled with little bones. The body is
long and cylindrical ; the color on the
back is olivaceous, silvery on the sides
and belly. The coloring and size of the
fish varies in different localities, attain-
ing in some instances a length of 18
inches.

THE STON E-LUGGER.
(Hypentelium nigricans. )

This species is also known as the
Brown, Mud or Spotted Sucker. The
head is rather large and blunt, the eyes
small and are set very high up and far
back. The body is long and carries
very large fins. ‘The back and sides are
beautifully marbled, or blotched, with
different shades of brown, producing an
interesting effect in contrast with the
white belly. It grows to a length of
about twelve inches, and frequents
swiftly running creeks, where it is gen-
erally found under the stones. The flesh
is soft, the bones too small and numer-

114

THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

ous to make it desirable for the table.
It is rather a pretty fish and does splen-
didly in the aquarium, where it can be
seen sucking the low vegetation from
the glass sides and stones, etc., this
habit making it a good scavenger.

THE RED-HORSE, OR MULLET.
(Moxostoma duquesnet.)

The body is long and compressed
upon the sides, very much carp-like in
appearance. ‘The color on the back is
olive, the sides bright silvery, showing
reflections of red and green; the lower
fins are red. The markets abound with
this species of fish, but it is only re-
garded as a cheap food.

side, gives the forehead a very odd ap-
pearance. ‘The dorsal fin is long, high
in front, and towards the caudal fin it
is low, reaching, when the first rays are
depressed, almost to the tail. The fish
isa native of Lake Erie and the Ohio
river; in the former place it is caught
in large quantities, split, salted, and
sold as lake shad.

THE BUFFALO FISH.
(Bubalichtys cyanellus.)

The body is an oblong oval, com-
pressed upon the sides. The scales with
which it is covered are of a bluish, sil-
very color. The head is of medium
size ; the mouth small. ‘The dorsal fin

Tue Rep Horse.
|

THE GOLDEN MULLET.
(MW. aureolum.)

_ ‘This species is a native of the Great
Lakes, and is also called the Lake Red-
horse. The body is shaped lke the
former, but grows to a larger size, gen-
erally weighing about 20 pounds. The
color is a yellowish brown ; the abdom-
inal fins are red.

THE SPEAR-FISH.
(Carpiodes velifer.)
It is also known as the Sailback,
Quillback, and Carpsucker. The body
is like that of the carp and covered with

silvery scales. The head is small, the
mouth, situated on the extreme lower

is long and consists of twenty-three or
twenty-four rays. The buffalo is the
largest representative of the carp-like
fishes in this country, perhaps in the
world. Specimens weighing some 75
or 80 pounds have been caught in the
Ohio river, and those from 30 to 40
pounds in weight are often taken now.
The German carp has been frequently
compared with the buffalo, but the only
resemblance is in the shape and coat of
scales.

The flesh of the buffalo fish is not
equal to that of the genuine carp in
flavor, though the buffalo of from six to
eight pounds weight is by no means
to be despised as a table fish.

(To be Continued.)

THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894. 115

WHERE SNAILS ABOUND.

For fresh water species various resorts
are to be searched. Go to the torrents
with rocky bottoms for the paludinas
and periwinkles (Melania) ; to quiet
brooks for physas and coilshells ; to
stagnant pools in the wet ooze and the
reeking swamps for limneas. We know
no better place in the world for pond
snails than the tule marshes of the
Pacific slope, where hundreds of the
great graceful Limnea stagnalis lie
among the rotting vegetation, or float
upside down at the surface of the still
water. But some of the fresh water
mollusks remain most of the time at
the bottom, coming to the surface only
to breathe now and then, and to get
their shells it is necessary to use a sieve-
bottomed dipper, or some sort of dredge.
When the water becomes low they bury
themselves in the mud ; it is therefore
always profitable, late in the summer,
to rake out the bottom of mud-holes
where the water has entirely disap-
peared. Another plan is to gently pull
up the water weeds by the roots and
cleanse them in a basin of water. You
will thus secure many very small
species. Experience will quickly teach
the collector where he may expect to
find this and that kind, and that some
caution and much sharpness of observa-
tion are necessary, since some species
by their naturally dead tints, and others
by a coating of mud, assimilate them-
selves so nearly to their surroundings
as easily to be overlooked.

The shell is increased rapidly for the

first two or three years, and the delicate
lines of increment, parallel with the
outlines of the aperture, are readily
visible on all the larger specimens.
Various other signs indicate youth or
adult age in the shell.

Mollusks prosper best, coeteris pari-
bus, ina broken landscape, with plenty
of lime in the soil. The reason, no
doubt, why the West India Islands,
the Cumberland Mountains and similar
regions are so peculiarly rich in shells
of every sort, is that a ravine-cut sur-
face and a wide area of limestone rocks
characterize those districts; on the
other hand, it is not surprising that we
found nine-tenths of the Rocky Moun-
tain species to be minute, since the
geology is represented by sandstone and
volcanic rocks. Hot springs are very
likely to be inhabited by mollusks, even
when the temperature exceeds 100 de- °
grees Fahrenheit, and the waters are
very strongly impregnated with mineral
salts.

Snails are mainly vegetarians, and all
their mouth parts and digestive organs
are fitted for this diet. Just below the
lower tentacles is the mouth, having
on the upper lip a crescent-shaped jaw
of horny texture, with a knife-like, or
sometimes saw-like, cutting edge. The
lower lip has nothing of this kind, but in
precisely the same attitude as our tongue
is arranged a lingual membrane, long,
narrow and cartilaginous, which may
be brought up against the cutting edge
of the upper jaw. This ‘‘ tongue” is
studded with rows of infinitesimal silic-
ious ‘‘ teeth,” eleven thousand of which
are possessed by our common white-
lipped helix, although its ribbon is not a
quarter of an inch long. All these sharp
denticles point backward so that the
tongue acts not only as a rasp, but
takes a firm hold upon the food. On
holding the more transparent snails up
to the light it is easy to see how they
eat, and you can hear a nipping noise
as the semi-circular piece is bitten out of
the leaf. Their voracity often causes
immense devastation, particularly in

116 THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

England, where the great gray slugs
will ruin a garden in one night, if the
gardener’ is not daily on the watch. Our
own strawberries sometimes suffer, but
a border of sawdust, sand or ashes
around the bed is an adequate protec-
tion in dry weather. In trying to cross
it the marauders become so entangled
in the particles adhering to their slimy
bodies, that they exhaust themselves in
the attempt to get free. They also are
very fond of fungi, including many
poisonous kinds.

At the first hint of frost our snail
feels the approach of a resistless lassi-
tude, and, creeping under some mould-
ering log or half-buried bowlder, it at-
taches itself, aperture upward, by ex-
uding a little glue, and settles itself for
a season of hibernating sieep. With-
drawing into the shell, the animal
throws across the aperture a film of
slimy mucus, which hardens as tight as
a miniature drum-head. As the weather
becomes colder, the creature draws it-
self a Jittle farther in, and makes
another ‘‘epiphragm,” and so on until
often five or six protect the animal
sleeping snugly coiled in the deepest re-
cesses of his domicile.

This state of torpidity is so profound
that all the ordinary functions -of the
body cease—respiration being so entire-
ly suspended that chemical tests are
said to discover no change from its
original purity in the air within the
epiphragm. Thus the snail can pass
without exhaustion the long, cold
months of the North, when it would
be impossible for it to secure its custom-
ary food. The reviving sun of spring
only interrupts this deep slumber, and
the period of awakening is therefore
delayed with the season, according to
the varying natures of the different spe-
cies, At any time, however, an artificial

raising of the temperature breaks the
torpor, the warmth of the hand being
enough to set the heart beating. Ex-
treme drouth also will cause snails to
seal their doors hermetically, without
even hanging acard basket outside. This
is to shut off the evaporation of their
bodily moisture, and happens in mid-
summer, hence it is termed aestivation,
Certain slugs (Testacellidae), which
have no shells, are able to protect them-
selves under the same circumstances by
a gelatinous appendage of the mantle,
which, in case of sudden change of
temperature can be extended like an
outer mantle, so to speak, from its place
of storage, under the ‘‘buckler,” and
having wrapped themselves, they bur-
row in the soil.

AQUATIC PLANTS AT HOME,

In the Amazon region, which com-
prises such vast extents of water, there
must necessarily be a large number of
aquatic plants, and some of these are
very ornamental. In voyaging by canoe
through miles upon miles of the water
ways which thread all of the “ varzea,”
for so the land subject to overflow with
the annual rise of the river is called,
one finds many curious species. In the
main Amazon there are few, though at
times one sees bays full of the pretty
** Hichornia speciosa,” for the banks
are constantly changing, the current is
rapid and there is little opportunity
for any permanent growth to establish
itself. But the ‘‘ varzea” is full of lakes,
many of which are very large, and even
where the banks of the Amazon are
high, there are usually some miles back

from the river clear water lakes. All of

these lakes communicate with the main
river, either directly or indirectly by
streams connecting one with another.

THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

1 eg

These streams are called ‘‘igaripes ;”
often they are broad and generally very
deep and navigable for canoes. When
the river is fallmg the water runs from
the lakes into the Amazon; when the
water rises these ‘‘igaripes” run up
stream, One can easily lose himself in
these intricate water ways. This “ var-
zea” vegion is not permanently habit-
able and only serves for pasturage,

park ; immense trees scattered over it ;
the ground covered with short grass ;
no undergrowth ; clear water lakes here
and there; the whole forming a most
charming landscape.

It is in the lakes and “igaripes ” that
water plants abound, though in the
main river the voyager often finds
plenty floating on their way to the dis-
tant ocean, they having been torn from

VicroRIA REGIA.

where not wooded, or for summer plant-
ations. It often is covered, especially on
the upper river, with gigantic Bamboos,
sometimes with a very tall grass, and if
low enough to be permanently wet, is
an inextricable tangle of vines, prickly
Palms, generally species of Bactris, and
stinging grasses. Where it is high and
only flooded for a short time, it forms
in summer a very attractive region.
We have seen stretches of thousands of
acres which looked like a well kept

}

their homes and borne from the lakes
by the current, dislodged by a falling
bank, or uprooted by a rise of the river.
In low water the shallow bays of the
Amazon grow up with grass, which, with
long floating root stocks, covers vast
areas, As the river rises these masses
are torn away and go floating down the
river. We have seen them at least half
an acre in area, and at times the whole
river is covered with them and looks
hke a green field. In these masses are

118 THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

many aquatic plants, but, beyond some
pretty yellow Utricularias and the Eich-
ornia which we have mentioned, we
have noticed nothing with bright flow-
ers. The cattle owners put out in canoes
and capture these great grass islands
and thus obtain a large amount of fod-
der. Sometimes one sees a big Victoria
regia, its leaves all torn, rolling over and
over in the turbid flood. It has come
from some broad ‘‘igaripe” or inland
lake, for the Victoria is never found in
the main river.

We well remember our first sight of
this noble plant in its wild state. Liv-
ing in a little inland village, we had for
weeks been planning an excursion to a
large lake in the neighborhood where it
abounds, and whence we had often re-
ceived the great flowers, but, as one
often puts off doing what he can do at
any time, our trip had been delayed.
One lovely morning, just about Christ-
mas, we had paddled across the broad
arm of the river to wander in the vast
stretch of park-like ‘‘ varzea,” which
lies between the parana-miri Juruty and
the main Amazon, and which, in fact,
is a great island. It was early ; the sun
was slanting amid the great trees and
everything seemed green and gold;
bright butterflies flew all around, or a
great night morpho, with beautifully
marbled wings, disturbed in his sleep
in the recess of some huge buttressed
tree, took a short flight to the shade of
another. Birds were singing; great
green beetles basked in the sun on the
great white trunks of the Munguba
trees (Cecropia), and the whole world
had just awoke into life. We were
familiar with the region, but our tramps
had hitherto been north and west; we
now turned to the east. After a
’ time we saw an irregular belt of large
trees, which evidently were on the shore

of a lake, and heard the hoarse bark of
the lontras, an otter-like animal, who
had already become aware of our ap-
proach. Drawing nearer we saw them
in the middle of a little lake, plunging
up and down, uttering their short bark,
showing their white teeth in their anger
at being disturbed. ‘The water of the
lake was low and the banks projected
over it. Reaching the lake we lay down
and looked over, and just below in alittle
bay was a plant of Victoria regia. It
was not large, we have seen thousands.
larger, but it was as perfect a little spec-
imen as one could wish. Five dark
leaves, perhaps two feet in diameter,
with the upturned rim and one great
white flower already beginning to close
in the sunlight. We were far away
from any house; probably there was
not a human being within five miles,
but that flower was better company than
anything else could be. How long we
lay there we never knew, but it was
until the Victoria wholly closed to a
prickly bud. Never more would that
pure white flower open; at sunset it
would again expand, but it would be a
delicate rosy pink, and again on the
third day, but then a deep red and then
it would bury itself to perfect its seed.
Since then we have often seen the Vic-
toria; we have under the light of the
full moon seen hundreds, perhaps thous-
ands, of flowers of all the three colors ex-
panding as the sun set ; we have crashed
our canoe ruthlessly through acres of
the great leaves, but that first sight
will ever live as one of the pleasantest
memories of our Amazonian life. Voy-
aging by night we would often put an
opening bud of the Victoria in a great

_ calabash and place it in the bow of the

canoe to enjoy the rich fragrance, as it
floated to us with the motion of the boat,
as we lay under the ¢o/da in the stern.

THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

eg

The perfume of the Victoria is not
continuous, but is given off in puffs;
one moment the flower is scentless, but
soon comes a puff of fragrance which,
if one is too near, is almost suffocating,
for it is very powerful and fully inhaled

THE WATER HyacitntH—(Hichornia speciosa. )

makes one’s head spin round merrily.
The seeds of the Victoria are ground,
or rather pounded, into a fine flour by
the Indians and makes not unpalatable
bread,

One would suppose that the Amazon
would furnish many species of Nym-
pheas or Water Lilies, but such is not
the case. There is one, Nymphea
ampla, which is very common ; there
are acres upon acres in the flats; it is
a coarse grower with large, dark, red-
dish green leaves, and flowers of me-
dium size, varying in color from white
to yellowish. It is a most disappoint-
ing species, for, though the flowers are
handsome and have a rich Pineapple
fragrance, one must sit up all night
with them to smell it, or see the Lilies
in perfection, for the flowers do not ex-
pand until very late and close in the
very early morning, long before day-
light. We had seen thousands of buds
before ever we saw an expanded flower.

The flowers stand out of the water like
the other tropical species. It is so large
a grower that the plant would soon
fill any pond, to the exclusion of every
thing else. It is plentiful around Para,
being often seen in the roadside ditches.

In Curtis’ Botanical Magazine a
beautiful little yellow Nympha_ is
figured under the name of Nymphaea
Amazonica, but we have never been able
to see or hear of such a plant and doubt
its existence. Possibly it may be the
Mexican species, or even that of Flor-
ida, with a misnomer. ‘There is, how-
ever, we believe, on the far river Purus,
an immense Nymphea with golden
yellow flowers, for so many have told
us of it, that we cannot doubt the fact.
Once a steamer captain brought it for
us. Arriving late at night, he put the
plants in a tub of water in his yard to
be sent to us in the morning. Unfor-
tunately his wife kept ducks and when,
on receiving his message to come for the
plant, we arrived at his house we found
that the ducks, who are very early

PONTEDERIA CORDATA—(Native of North America.)

risers, had destroyed every vestige of
our Lily. In time we shall again re-
ceive it, but nothing in Brazil is ever
hurried and the first lesson one has to
learn is ‘‘patiencia.”

Eichornia speciosa, the old Pontederia
erassipes, Which is now much cultivated

120

THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

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under the not inappropriate name of
Water Hyacinth, is a very beautiful
plant. Onthe Amazon it covers acres
with its showy flowers. While the plant
is floating, the petioles are curiously
swollen, but this regularity disappears
when the plant becomes rooted. Once
we found a white flowered variety, and
several times we have seen plants with
pink flowers. Unfortunately these oc-
casions were always when we were far
from home on some long excursion, and
the plants were lost before we could get

THE WATER ORcHID—(Hichornia azurea.)

them where they could be properly cared

for. The other species, Hichornia
azurea, also a very pretty plant, is not
Amazonian.

Some of the Utricularias have very
bright yellow flowers, and we have seen
reaches of marsh a mass of color. The
Water Lettuce, Pistia stratioides, is a

very common plant. It is handsome

and interesting. It propagates so rap-
idly that a single plant will soon cover
avery large area. The flowers are white,
sessile and small, in a little spathe at the
base of the leaves, each spathe con-
taining one male and one female flower.
This plant is the favorite food of the
“*n ixe-bois,” the Manitee or sea cow
which lives upon the long roots. This
animal is not uncommon on the Middle
and Upper Amazon and is much sought,
for its flesh makes an excellent dinner ;
it is white with streaks of green fat,
very tender and tastes like chicken.
Boiled in the oil it forms ‘‘ mixira,”
which, when fresh, is a very nice pro-
vision for a long voyage, but Heaven
help the man who has to live on old
‘‘mizira,” hard as iron and of a ran-
cidity which has no comparison, as we
once had to do.

Salvinia brasilensis, a very pretty
little plant, often seen in aquariums, is
very common. ‘There is a species of
Pontederia which closely resembles the
common United States species, which
in some places forms large masses ; it is
very common round Para. The flower
is in appearance just like the North
American plant, only not quite as hand-
some. ‘There are doubtless many un-
discovered aquatics on the Amazon.
We have described a few of the most
common. During our voyaging we did
not give this class of plants especial at-
tention, and at our house we had no
facilities for their culture. They are
difficult to transport, for, if found in
the lakes it is no easy matter to keep
them alive during a homeward tramp,
which may last for days, and even in a
canoe voyage they suffer much. Ina

_ future paper we may describe some of

the smaller species which are worth
growing.—EpWARD S. RAnpD, Brazil,
in The Mayflower.

THE MUSKALLUNGE OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI.

THe MuUSKALLUNGE OF THE GREAT LAKES

THE’ AQUARIGMEY JULY, 1894.

THE IRIS.

Of all the fairy tales and fables of
Ancient Mythology, perhaps the most
interesting is the story of Juno, the
Mythical Queen of Heaven, surrounding
the world with a transparent mist,
which, pierced by the glittering rays of
the Sun, produced the Rainbow, the
archetype of Jris. Ancient Mythology,
however, goes still further and tells us
that Juno was attended by five deities
and fourteen nymphs, but her most
faithful attendant was /ris. But the age
of fable is passed, and now we interpret
the ancient ideas of the Rainbow, as

Iris SusIANA.

the embodiment of all that is beautiful
or divinely fair, and a fit companion
for the gods, of which they knew not,
still, worshiped.

So much for the ancient origin of the
name, while its application to the group
of plants under consideration, is equally
instructive. It was chosen by the early
naturalist,—while the study of botany
as a science was yet unknown,—to des-
ignate an indefinite section or group of
plants, with especial reference to the
Tris; all of which produce more or less
brilliant and showy flowers, and all of
which are unsurpassed for garden cul-
ture, especially, since the species and
varieties now offered present such varied

forms and well contrasted colors. Lin-
nexus, in his effort to obliterate all the
old botanical names, called the family
Ensate, from the Latin Hnsis—a sword
—on account of their leaves being iong,
narrow and pointed, 7. e., .sword-like.
He, however, soon abandoned his name,
and restored the old Greek name, Jris,
which has been retained by subsequent
botanists. In heraldry, the flower of the
Tris, under the name of Flewr-de-lis,
(pronounced by a corruption of the
French language, /Jower-de-luce,) was
also employed as the royal emblem of
France during the reign of the old
Kings, consisting (in heraldry) of three
flowers on an azure field. Its interpret-
ation is ‘The Royal (purple) Lily,
queen of flowers, the true representa-
tive of Majesty.” Since the establish-
ment of the Republics, as well as dur-
ing the Empires of France, the /ewr-
de-lis has ceased to be used as the
national emblem; but in some of its.
modified forms, it figures very conspic-
uously in the heraldic emblems of some
of the oldest noble families of both
France and England.

From a scientific point of view, or,
more correctly speaking, in the natural
order of the vegetable kingdom, the /ris
approaches nearer the structure of the
true Lily, than any other aquatic plant,
for which reason, if for no other, we feel
justified in treating of it as a Water
Lily. But we know the propriety of
calling it Water Lily will at once
be questioned by many, and we must
add a word more in explanation, for,
although some species are the exact re-
verse of an aquatic plant, still some of
our American and European species are
so much at home on the low, wet mar-
gins of lakes and rivers, and are even
often found growing in shallow water,
where the roots, and sometimes the

THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894. 123

crown of the plant, is often submerged
during a large portion of the year, that
we see no impropriety in adding the
Iris to the list of so-called Water Lilies;
particularly, as we propose to treat only
of the American and European forms
in this article.

Before we proceed further with this
very common plant, let us abandon the
idea of its being too commonplace and
insignificant, to be worth devoting much
time to, for of all common plants, of
which this is often considered the least
attractive, probably no one is so little
understood, even by amateur cultivators
as this family of plants. Its flower is so
very complicated, that very few, except
botanists, really understand its struc-
ture, or at least we find quite a differ-
ence in the descriptions published by
different authors and writers.

By a reference to standard works on
Botany, we find the J/ris distributed
over the entire world, from the far
north, to the southern points of land in
South America and New Zealand ; but,
in its manner of growth, we find it
assumes an entirely different character,
in different portions of the world. For
example:—In the hot and dry regions,
instead of a creeping rhizoma, as with
us, it concentrates all its vitality into a
bulb or corm, which remains dormant
during the prevalence of the drouth,
but develops again into activity at the
approach of the rainy season. These,
of course, are not aquatic plants, and
will not come under our present consid-
eration. In America we have, at least,
eight well defined species, usually found
in shallow water or swamps, but oc-
casionally found in quite dry ground,
and presenting the strange analogy of
producing flowers of that unusual com-
bination of colors,— yellow and blue,—
two colors seldom found in the same

flower, or even in the same genus. In-
deed, we have often seen the statement
in print, that in no genus of plants
can two natural species, or even varie-
ties be found, one witha yellow and the
other with a blue flower; but this is
certainly a mistake, for numerous gen-
era of plants contain one species with
yellow, and another one with blue
flowers ; the examples of which may be
cited, are Crocus, Linum, Nymphea,
ete. It is not, however, an usual com-
bination of colors, and as some species
of the Zris produce flowers with both
colors in the same flower, adds an ad-
ditional charm to their study.

See: Ae =—S-

Tris GERMANICA.

Let us now examine the particular
points of interest in our chosen subject
for consideration. First, the portion
of the plant commonly called the root,
is, in this case, nothing more nor less
than a prostrate stem, to which botan-
ists have applied the name rhizome,
which are, usually, only partly covered
with earth, but sending down into the
ground numerous small rootlets to sup-
ply the plant with nourishment. These
prostrate stems and rhizomies in the /ris
consist of a bundle of coarse and fibrous
tissues, thickened with a large store of
nutriment, in the form of farinaceous
and saccharine matter, well calculated
to feed a luxuriant growth of foliage,

124 THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

especially in early spring; and, also, to
induce new buds or shoots to break out
at the side of the old rhizome, and form
a large clump or cluster, but which, in
time, separates into distinct plants.
These, like the stock of a hardy shrub,
remain dormant through the winter,
or, in the language of botany, are per-
ennial, and are usually seen in short,
knotty sections, representing its period
of growth.

The leaves of the Jris are very
little understood, except by botanists,
for in place of one surface facing up
(towards the sky) and the other down
(towards the ground) as is usual, or one
surface facing the right and the other
the left, .as in some of the Acaevas, ete. ;
in the /ris the leaf is linear, or sword-
shaped, and erect; but ‘‘each leaf is
formed and folded together lengthwise,
so that what would be the upper sur-
face is within, and all grown together
except next the bottom, where each leaf
covers the next younger one. It was
from their straddling over each other,
lke a man on horseback, that Linneus,
with his lively fancy, called these equi-
tant leaves.”— Gray’s Lessons.

The flowers are erect, usually from a
spathaceous bract of two or more leaves,
produced, usually, singly in succession,
each one opening but once. They are
fertilized by the aid of insects.

The /ris, although not contributing
directly to the support of the human
family, except in a limited sense, has
added its mite towards the comforts and
luxuries, usually of semi-civilized people
in different portions of the world. The
tuberous or bulbous rhizomas contain,
in addition to the saccharine matter, a
small portion of a fatty and acrid mat-
ter, together with a peculiar volatile oil
which gives them stimulating proper-
ties. Some species lose their acridity

by drying or boiling, and are then used
as food, especially by the Hottentots, of
South Africa, where it is called oenkjes,
and has nearly the same taste as our
potato. In its growing state, no ani-
mal will eat the leaves except goats, but
when cut and dried like hay, cattle will
quite readily eat it. The roots, how-
ever, are quite extensively utilized in
different portions of the world. The

YELLOW FLAG—(Iris pseudacorus. )

old and well known violet perfume,
‘‘Orris Root,” is the product of the
beautiful white-flowered species, Jris

florentina, which was also at one time

quite extensively used in flavoring or
toning liquors. The blue perinth of Jris
Germanica, crushed and mixed with
lime, yields the ‘‘ Iris Green” of paint-
ers. Finally the seed of Jris psued-
acorus are 2 well known substitute for

THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894. 125

cottee.—(Hooker.) The roots of some
species, especially /ris pswed-acorus, are
used very extensively in preparing black
dyes and ink. ‘

Like most of our native semi-aquatic
plants, it thrives in any common gar-
den or mucky soil, requiring no espec-
ial attention ; but it should remain un-
disturbed for a number of years, and
then will bloom quite freely. The two
English varieties, [ris pswed-acorus and
I, fetidissima, emit a disagreeable, fetid
odor, not found in our American species
to any considerable extent. The dwarf
Siberian Jris, I. Siberica, and the Aus-
trian Jris, I. Pumila, with their many
various colored flowers, form excellent
border plants ; and as they are so very
hardy, in a few years they make a com-
plete mat of green foliage, and carry
out the object of a border line to per-
fection. Within the past few years,
botanical travelers and collectors have
secured an almost endless variety of
these choice plants, from the far off and
little known countries ; and now our
English cousins, especially, can boast of
a collection that vie with any other
class of hardy plants in the world, for
beauty and well contrasted colors ; while
to say that some of the species are
perfectly gorgeous, only indifferently
describes their beauty. Of course our
American plant buyers will never think
of utilizing any of our native species,
but we hope the day is not far distant
when we shall see this beautiful family
of plants more generally grown, espec-
lally when our nurserymen advertise
more carefully and generally the new
foreign varieties. European landscape
gardeners make great use of even the
most common varieties of /ris in their
lawn decorations, especially in their
planting by lake and river margins,
where the effect is all that can be de-

sired. But the old world landscape gar-
dening is on more of an elaborate and
gorgeous scale than anything in Amer-
ica, consequently we see very little of
this perfected art or science to copy
from except near a few of our large
cities, where the art has been applied
to the beautifying of cemeteries and
parks.
ve

FERNS.

The cultivation of ferns for the deco-
ration of our homes has, of late, be-
come so general that all are more or
less interested in learning what is the
most successful mode of managing
them. The object of green and hot
houses is to regulate the degree of
light, heat and moisture requisite for
the growth of plants: in other words,
to imitate their native climate.

But how can this be done without
such aid ? The question is, how to suc-
ceed in encouraging the growth, and
developing and preserving the beauty of
these exotics, and making them feel at
home in the windows of our living
rooms. It can be done with a little
care. ‘The four essentials, light, heat,
and moisture in a proper degree, and an
appropriate soil can be furnished in an
ordinary living room, and many beau-
tiful species of ferns can be grown from
the spore to maturity, and the reward
will be more than ample for the trouble.
Before speaking of their cultivation, let
us take a glance at the nature, habits
and habitats of the plants themselves.
What is a fern ? Leaving out all botan-
ical terms and niceties, a fern may be
described, in a popular way, as a plant
which bears leaves only, and no flowers,
distinguished from other plants not in
flower by bearing its seed (called spores)
upon the under surface or along the

126 THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

margins of itsleaves. These spores are
seen as brown dust like patches, round,
oval or in lines. They are arranged
with great regularity, and upon their
arrangement, form and covering, botan-
ists base their division and classification
into the different genera and species.
The development of a fern leaf also dif-
fers from that of most other plants: in
the bud it is usually rolled up from the
point to the base. To this rule, how-
ever, there are some exceptions. There
are two hundred genera and two thou-
sand species of ferns described by botan-
ists. Of the species there are many
varieties depending upon differences of
climate, soil and other causes. ‘These
varieties also are constantly increasing
in number by hybridization under cul-
tivation in green and hot houses. They
are distributed over the whole surface
of the earth, from the equator to the
cold regions of the north and south,
and always flourish best, whether in
temperate or tropical zones, in moist,
shady places.

The stems of this plant are usually
creeping, but sometimes, as in the case
of the tree ferns of the tropics, they are
erect. ‘The creeping stems are under
ground and the leaves or fronds are the
only part of the plant which shows
above the surface. In height they vary
from two inches, and even less, to a few
feet ; but the tree ferns of the tropics
often attain an altitude of fifty feet and
even much more. Indeed, they are said
to rival the majestic palms.

We will say nothing about the botan-
ical divisions of ferns, but, for the pur-
poses of this paper, will divide them
only into two great classes, the Decidu-
ous and Hvergreen. 'They first develop
their fronds, mature the spores, and,
upon the approach of frost, the foliage
dies, and the stem and roots lie dormant

in the ground until the next season of
growth. The evergreen ferns throw up
their fronds and there they remain
bright and green until their successors
appear. In the tropics, of course they
continue to grow during the winter
months, only approaching a condition
of rest during the dry season. Under
protection, with moisture and heat sup-
pled, they grow luxuriantly during the
whole year. The evergreen ferns of the
colder climate do not, of course, con-
tinue their growth during the winter
season, but the fronds remain erect and
preserve their fresh, bright green color
until the new ones appear in the spring.
It is with the evergreen ferns that we
have most to do, as they will serve to
cheer us in the winter when all of the
deciduous ones are asleep out of sight.
Many of the deciduous ferns will grow
very well in pots, and make.very pretty
summer ornaments, but the most favor-
able conditions of heat and moisture
will not coax them to make a winter
growth. If you have, during your
summer excursions, brought home and
potted a collection of these beauties,
you need not be discouraged when you
see them wither and die upon the ap-
proach of winter. Put them away in
some place just warm enough to keep
the pots from being broken and de-
stroyed by frequent freezing and thaw-
ing. Do not let them get too dry and
they will renew their beauty in the
spring and gladden you all summer.
But it is best to confine yourself to
the evergreen ones for cultivation, and
the list to select from is indeed a long
one. Youcan get young plants from
the florist, or, if you choose to take the
time and trouble you may grow them
from the spores. This is the natural
way in which ferns are propagated just
as flowering plants are grown from seed.

DHE AQUARIUM w tess, = 127

All true seeds have a determinate struc-
ture ; they contain, folded up within
them the embryo, with all the special
organs in a rudimentary state, of the
plants which they are destined to pro-
duce ; the germ of the descending axis,
(called the radicle) which forms the
root, and the germ of the ascending
axis, (called the plumule) which forms
the stem. No matter in what position
the seed is placed in the soil, this al-
ready prepared radicle always develops
downwards and the plumule upwards.
Not so with fern spores; these have no
determinate parts; a spore is only a
minute vesicle containing one or more
cells. When the spore is placed on a
damp surface the cells absorb moisture,
swell and divide into a number of sim-
ilar cells which unite. This process is
repeated until a minute round or oval
green leaf, not at all like a characteris-
tic fern leaf is formed. ‘This is called
the primordial scale. Next, the point
of this leaf which happens to be in clos-
est contact with the soil becomes
thicker by a further division and union
of its cells, and from this thickened
point the roots develop and strike into
the soil. Last of all the frond appears
and the minute plant is perfect in all
its parts. If you wish to grow a stock
of seedling ferns, you can get the spores
from a seedsman or gather them your-
self from the plants of your friends.
Take off a portion from a frond with
ripe spores, which you will easily rec-
ognize by their brown or blackish color.
You only want a small portion of the
frond, for thousands of the spores are
contained in each of the patches. Wrap
this piece of leaf in a smooth white
paper, (the spores would adhere to rough
paper) and allow it to become perfectly
dry, when you can crumble it with the
fingers and the spores will fall on the

paper as fine brown dust. While crum-
bling it, hold your fingers near the
paper or a great many of the spores will
float away in the air and be lost.

Now take a pot of any convenient size
and, after putting drainage in the bot-
tom, fill it up to within one inch of the
rim with any light, loamy soil that is
free from insects and weed seeds. In
order to destroy any such intruders as
may be in the soil, it should be well
baked in the oven or scalded with hot
water before sowing the spores. Press
the soil down in the pot so that it will
be firm and level, then thoroughly
moisten it and scatter the spores evenly
and thinly over the surface. Set the
pot in a saucer filled with wet sand or
moss, and cover it with a piece of glass,
or, better still, with a bell-glass or jar,
to prevent evaporation and secure con-
stant and uniform moisture. Place the
pot in a shady place in the room where
it will not be disturbed, at a north win-
dow is the best. Light, however, is not
essential until after germination has
taken place, then it is needed to de-
velop the fronds. ‘This can be done at
any season of the year. If in winter, it
should be in a room where the temper-
ature does not at any time fall below
50° F. in the night, and rises to 65° and
70° in the daytime. A higher temper-
ature is needed for the more tender
varieties, and will hasten the growth of
the hardy ones. If it is done in the
spring, say in April or May, the growth
is sooner and perhaps more certain, the -
hardier varieties coming up first, and
the more tender ones following as the
days become warmer.

When necessary to give water, do not
pour or even sprinkle it upon the sur-
face, as that would certainly wash out
and destroy many of the plants and
spores, but hold the pot in a vessel of

128 THE AQUARIUM, JULY, 1894.

water until thoroughly moistened from
below.

In a few weeks the surface of the soil
will assume a green, mossy appearance,
and if you examine this with a glass,
you will see the minute round or oval
leaves, (the primordial scales,) whose
forms a few more days will reveal to
the naked eye. You will be much in-
terested in watching the development
of the little fronds which soon follow.
Be patient, give plenty of light but no
sunshine, keep the soil uniformly moist,
and in good time you will have a fine
stock of little plants. When these are
large enough to handle, they must be
picked out and planted singly in the
smallest sized pots. Some varieties
may be left in the seed pots even a year
before transplanting.

(To be continued. )

A CASH PREMIUM.

In due recognition of the fact that it
requires time and also money to inquire
into the causes of diseases of goldfish,
several gentlemen in Germany, and also
the editor of THE AQUARIUM, are now
making up apurse of one thousand
(1,000) marks to be given to the person
discovering the causes and cures of cer-
tain new diseases of goldfish kept in
aquariums.

We expect to arrange about the de-
tails when abroad this summer, and
shall publish them in our next issue.

CURE FOR POISON IVY.

The following formula is warranted
to effect a cure within twenty-four
hours :

One ounce olive oil.

Fifteen drops bromine.

Mix together and rub the salve over
parts affected.—Am. Gardening.

For the small sum of fifty cents in
advance, which pays for a year’s sub-
scription to THE AQUARIUM, you are
entitled to ask information on any point
regarding the aquarium or the window

garden. We offer no other premium
to our subscribers than that of putting
our 25 years of practical experience in
these branches at their disposal. . Ask
as many questions as you please, but
please to enclose postage for reply. All
questions are answered by mail, and we
publish only such in these columns as
are of general interest.

Mr. W.—'The weight of the water
will bend the zine or galvanized iron
bottom of an aquarium if the latter is
not supported by a wooden one, and
thus cause the cement to give way. In
your case we would use a lot of old news-
papers ; put these on the table first to
the required thickness and then set the
tank on it. An aquarium tank should
not be carried with water in it.

C. L.—Feed your young goldfish on
powdered I. X. L. fishfood several
times a day. Young fish in an out of
door basin or pond need not be fed arti-
ficially except the pond is overstocked
in regard to natural food supply.

Mrs. C.—Pieces of newspaper slided
over the surface of the water will re-
move all the scum and dust from it.

Dr. S.—It may be the iron bottom
of your tanks that causes your plants to
die. You can remedy that by planting
the plants in small glass salve jars, or
by lining the bottoms of the tanks with
glass.

NEW STYLE OF AQUARIUM.

NEW PUBLICATION.

The Amateur Aquarist.

By MARK SAMUEL.
16mo. Cloth. Illustrated, $1.00.

ALN LAY
WA ies

Nee nll MK -L2 American Aquarium book indispensable to everyone who wishes
WW ZEN | to start an Aquarium, or who already has one,

Complete Instructions for making a New Self-Sustaining Aquarium,
Requiring Change of Water but Once a Year.

. No. 35. How to find suitable water-plants and fishes. When to find suitable water-

De plants and fishes. Where to find suitable water-plants and fishes. Over Fifty
pe a ay ee ae Seer New Illustrations from Life, by which to identify the specimens.

_ Just the book to take on country rambles in Summer. Just the book to have when fishing in fresh water.
Just the book to use at home in winter. How to breed fishes in an Aquarium, and successfully raise the ‘‘ babies.”

Published in sensible pocket edition, and bound in *‘ soakable *’ cloth.
Sree © RAT han ey ERNE S(O) (2 DU CARTON ATL SIN STrriurrons:
Sent, postpaid, on receipt of the price, by

IVE ATR Ee SS Av Oe aes,
AQUARIST,
10 East Sixteenth Street,
Between Broadway and Fifth Avenue, NEW YORE.

THE COLDFISH AND ITS CULTURE

MWZITH A MIEMWZ TO PROFIT,

A thorough Guide for the Management of an Aquarium. Used and Recommended in
this Country and Europe by the Profession.

By HUGO MULERTT.
Price per Copy, prepaid by mail, $1,00. German Edition, Stettin, 1892 (paper cover), 75 cents.

This book contains 108 pages, octavo, neatly bound in cloth with gilt back, colored frontispiece, and nineteen
wood cuts, drawn from nature. The author herein presents all the important and essential points concerning the
fish, its Treatment in Captivity and the Best Method of Propagating it.

Drawing upon a period of practical experience extending over many years, and an acknowledged success in
the culture of ornamental fish, the author is confident that the results of his labors as embodied in the work will
satisfy a long-felt want in this direction, by furnishing in an accessible and handy shape the most reliable informa-
tion upon the goldfish and its culture, whether engaged in as an Amwsement or with the more substantial pur-
pose of making ita Business.

The subject-matter is expressed in plain terms, and all unnecessary scientific technicalities omitted, this
feature, in addition, aiso making the book a Desirable one for Children, who may, through it, gain a correct
idea of ‘‘ life in water,”’ and more especially of the natural history of fishes.

Part I.—Contains the history of the goldfish in this and its native country. Part II.—History and construction
of fish pond, Part IIJ.—Anatomy and physiology of the goldfish, its propagation and care in ponds and aquariums,
Part [V.—The enemies and diseases of the fish, and how to combat and prevent them.

All orders for the book should be addressed to

HMUGO MULLER TT,

17S NOSTRAND AVENUE, BROOKE YIN, — No Ys

The American Magazine
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It is a Magazine for Naturalists,
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