ever fmce, there they are propagated in the open borders of 

 the flower-garden with the lead poflible trouble, flowering 

 moil readily, but w r e believe never producing any ripe feeds ; 

 from thence mod of the roots which flower with the curious 

 here, are yearly imported in the Autumn. 



In Guernfey, the cold of the Winter is far lefs intenfe than 

 with us; many of thofe plants which we keep in our green- 

 houfes, {land with them in the open ground ; the fuperior 

 mildnefs of the climate enables them to cultivate this plant 

 with more fuccefs than we can do, even perhaps with all the 

 expence and trouble to which we might fubject ourfelves ; to 

 fuch, however, whofe fituations may be favourable, and who 

 may be fond of making experiments, we recommend the 

 perufal of Fairchild's Directions, a practical Gardener of 

 great ingenuity, and who appears to have had much expe- 

 rience in the culture of this plant*. 



It is ufual to plant the imported bulbs in pots of fand, or 

 light loam, as foon as they arrive, and place them in the parlour 

 window, or green-houfe ; they bloflbm in September and 

 October ; the flowers, which continue about a month in per- 

 fection, are inodorous, but make up for that deficiency by the 

 fuperior fplendour of their colours: Dr. Douglass thus 

 defcribes them, each flower when in its prime looks like a fine 

 gold tifTue wrought on a rofe-coloured ground, but when it 

 begins to fade and decay, it looks more like a filver tiflue, or 

 what they call a pink colour : when we look upon the flower 

 in full fun-fhine, each leaf appears to be fludded with thou- 

 fands of little diamonds, fparkling and glittering with a moft 

 furprifing and agreeable luftre ; but if we view the fame by 

 candle-light, thefe numerous fpecks or fpangles look more 

 like fine gold duft. 



Both K^mpfer and Thunberg agree, that the Japanefe 

 regard the root as poifonous. 



* " They love a light earth, made with dung and fand, and a little lime rubbifh with 

 ,! it does very well, it keeps the roots found ; for if the earth be too fliff or wet, you may 

 " keep them for many years before they blow. If they aie in pots, they fhould be put in 

 ,: the houfe in Winter, to keep them from the fevcre frofts, which are apt to rot the roots. 

 " The time of moving them is when they have no leaves on the root, that is from June to 

 " Auguft: thofe that come with fix leaves this year, feldom fail blowing the next year : 

 " they need not be put in frefh earth above once in two or three years : by this method of 

 *' management I have had the fame roots blow again in four years time. The many mif- 

 ' : carriages that happen to the Guernfey Lily, are by letting the leaves be killed by the 

 " fiercenefs of the froft in Winter, or by cutting them off, as fome people do, when they 

 " are green, which will fo much weaken the plants, that they may keep them twenty 



years and not have them blow ; by the above management, where there is a ftock, there 

 '* will be continually fome blowing. 



" Miller recommends for thcie roots the following compofl : Take a third-part of 

 " firefh virgin earth from a.pafture-groutid which is light, then put near an equal part of 

 " fea-fand, to which you fhould add rotten dung and fifted lime tubbifh, of each an equal 

 ' ; quantity." 



The great bufincfs in the -culture of this flower, next to a proper foil and fituation, 

 f«r ms to cnnfiit in giving the plant as much air as poflible. and in preferring the foliage 

 in the Winter from the injury of froft. 



