II, ‘I' 
     
     -3- ' 
     
    
   
   
    
     Six sorts were received and planted in the pond, near the brow 
     
     of the hill, and west of the barn mentioned, these all belonged to 
     
    
   
   
    
     the species Nymphaea as follows: N. alba7'N. alba gigantia; N. alba gladstonia; 
     
     Nodorata rosea; g: odorata luciana, and g: marliacea. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The water lily rootstalks were set in groups according to variety 
     
     along the edge of the pond in eighteen inches of water. The method 
     
     used was that old woven, wooden, potato baskets were weighted with 
     
     stones and filled with a rich loam soil that had well rotted stable 
     
     manure mixed with it. The lily rootstalks were planted from two to 
     
     three inches deep. The use of an inch of coarse sand or gravel to 
     
     hold down the manure and prevent fish or insects disturbing the soil 
     
     in the containers is recommended. 
     
    
   
   
    
     By the time the first leaf stalks reached the surface of the 
     
     pond destructive insects had attacked the young leaves and we were 
     
     obliged to move the whole group of baskets to the third pond mentioned, 
     
     quite near the Pottery Lane, sometimes called the DeBlois Road, now 
     
     closed. The lillies made growth there during the summer of 1910. 
     
    
   
   
    
     During the season of 1910 the Lily Pond, as it is now known, was 
     
     used as a water supply for livestock by the late Mr. Albert Mutch, who 
     
     woned the adjoining property and had reserved the right to water his 
     
     stock from this pond when he sold an area of land including the pond 
     
     to the government. The pond became completely dry during the summer 
     
     of 1910 and the destructive insects were all killed. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Early in the spring of 1911 the baskets containing the established 
     
     lily plants were brought back and replaced in vareity groups in the 
     
     pond where the water was about 2 ft. deep and where, so far as we 
     
     knew ice would not rest on the bottom in winter. Many roots and 
     
     rootlets were showing through the baskets and the lilies quickly 
     
     established themselves. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1916 the varieties still in groups covered areas of the pond 
     
     from 15 to 25 ft. in diameter. Some varieties produced large pods 
     
     of seeds, these when mature broke off and floated to other parts of 
     
     the pond and established colonies of lily pads and later abundant 
     
     blooms. 
     
    
   
   
    
     J. A. Clark, D.Sc. 
     
     Guardian 
     
     approximately 1950 
     
     Charlottetown, P.E.I. 
     
     submitted by: 
     
    

    
     Lorna Knox 
     
     Charlottetown, P.E.I. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Lichens 
     
    
   
   
    
     Winter is generally believed to be a low time of the year for 
     
     the plant lovers among us. Not so to the lichen—watchers! A mild 
     
     winter day, when the woods are free from the distractions of flowers, 
     
     leaves and singing birds, is an ideal time to look for lichens. 
     
     Lichens tend to be brighter and more easily seen when dampness and 
     
     lack of canopy shadow reveal their rich colors. 
     
    
   
   
    
     A Lichen is really formed by two distinct plants, an alga and 
     
     a fungus, living together in a harmonious association known as. 
     
     symbiosis. The resulting plant body, or thallus, formed by this 
     
     mutual relationship acts as a single organism and bears no resemblance 
     
     to the original alga or fungus. The algal portion of a lichen uses 
     
     sunlight to carry on photosynthesis and produce foods just as all 
     
     green plants do. The fungus which makes up the bulk of the lichen, 
     
     forms protective layers whic surround and protect the algal portion 
     
     and give shape and structure to the plant. Much of the time lichens 
     
     are dry, dull and brittle, existing in an essentially dormant state. 
     
     When the moisture level in the air becomes sufficiently high the 
     
     lichen becomes soft and flexible. At the same time the fungal 
     
     component becomes semi-transluscent, allowing light to penetrate _ 
     
     into the algal layer which can then begin to carry on food production 
     
     again. The translucence also lets the more interesting colours of 
     
     the alga show through, and explains why lichens appear to be more. 
     
     richly colored during damp weather. This dependence on high humidity 
     
     also explains in part why lichens are so slow—growing, and why they 
     
     do well in damp areas such as.along seashores and in swamps and bogs.